Concluding Highlights from ISM Annual Meeting 2025
The 12th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota, organized by the International Society of Microbiota (ISM), was held on November 5–6, 2025, at The Westin Valencia, Spain.
This year’s edition brought together more than 180 participants from 23 countries, uniting top scientists, clinicians, and industry innovators to explore how microbiome science is transforming the future of medicine, nutrition, and biotechnology.
A High-Level Scientific Program
The congress featured over 100 oral and poster communications, reflecting the extraordinary diversity and dynamism of current microbiome research.
From mechanistic discoveries to applied and clinical studies, the sessions showcased new concepts, technologies, and therapeutic perspectives.
The scientific level of the discussions was remarkable, with major contributions in fields such as:
- Host–microbiota causality and functional mapping, introduced by Prof. Erwin Zoetendal (Wageningen University, Netherlands), urging the transition from correlation to mechanistic insight.
- Microbiota–brain–immune interactions, linking microbial metabolites to cognition, mental health, and neuroinflammation.
- Gut, oral, skin, and vaginal microbiomes as diagnostic and therapeutic targets, expanding the translational reach of microbiota science.
- Innovative technologies, including organ-on-chip models, AI-based analytics, mass spectrometry, and metabolomics, opening new frontiers for personalized interventions.
A Platform for Innovation and Translation
More than 40 short oral communications and over 60 posters offered a broad, multidisciplinary vision, spanning metagenomics, immunology, metabolic health, oncology, neurology, and bioengineering.
These presentations reflected the growing maturity of microbiome science, with clear focus on clinical translation, diagnostic applications, and therapeutic development.
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Best Scientific Contribution Award Gut Microbiota, Health, and Diet: Going Towards Causality and Mechanistic Understanding |
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Best Short Oral Presentation Award Targeting Post-Stroke Infections: Role of Microbiota-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Gut Barrier Integrity and Bacterial Translocation |
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Best Poster Presentation Award The Effect of Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration |
ISM Partnerships & Support
ISM warmly thanks its industrial supporters – Olobion and Microomics Systems S.L. for their continuous engagement and scientific excellence. Their pioneering approaches in metagenomics, mass spectrometry, and clinical trial microbiomics perfectly embodied the congress spirit.
The Society also expresses deep appreciation to its official journal partner, Microbiota and Host (Bioscientifica Publishing), and to Prof. Bina Joe, Editor-in-Chief, for her leadership and ongoing collaboration in promoting microbiome research worldwide.
Looking Ahead
The 2025 edition confirmed that microbiome science now stands at a turning point, where mechanistic understanding, technological integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration will drive the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics.
As ISM continues its mission to bridge fundamental discoveries with clinical and industrial innovation, the community remains united around one shared goal:
To transform microbiome knowledge into actionable, personalized medicine.
Thank you to all participants, speakers, and partners for two days of exceptional science, energy, and inspiration.
See you at the 13th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota 2026 for the next step in this collective journey.
