The IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2024 will be three-days of engaging, inspiring, and informative content covering:

Microbiome Modulation to Support Women’s Health

While much scientific research has previously focused on men, female-specific health requirements are now becoming a huge talking point, as well as a big commercial opportunity. Whether it be related to hormone control, menopause symptoms, menstrual issues, conception or pregnancy, vaginal health, or more, there are some clear gaps in scientific knowledge and therefore for potential product development. This session will explore the opportunities for microbiome modulation for women’s health.

Prebiotics

From classics, like insulin and FOS, to innovations with resistant starch and polyphenols, there’s a lot happening in the prebiotics space. And with the global prebiotics market expected to be worth US$ 21.2 billion by 2030, the sky’s the limit for the category.

Innovation in the space is opening up opportunities to promote the growth of a diverse range of microorganisms – it’s not just about boosting Bifidobacteria anymore – and advances in personalized nutrition and metabolomics will boost efficacy and help to deepen our understanding of responders versus non-responders, and how these ingredients can correct compositional imbalances to promote health and wellness. This session will explore the exciting horizons for prebiotics.

State of the Market

Despite a post-pandemic readjustment in the US dietary supplements market, unit and dollar sales in many key categories are still well above pre-COVID levels, and microbiome modulators – probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics – are still riding on high consumer interest and increased understanding of how our guts are central to so many aspects of overall health. This session will dig into the market data and the key category trends. Discover how social media channels like TikTok are impacting the landscape and provide key insights from high-growth brands.

Healthcare Practitioners

Healthcare practitioners remain a key gatekeeper for consumers seeking advice about nutrition and dietary supplements, including probiotics, but research often shows that many practitioners are themselves poorly informed about these products.

So, how can industry better engage and educate healthcare practitioners? Are there successful case studies the community can learn from? And are there doctors who can be leading voices for the benefits of microbiome modulation to support and improve health? This session will seek answers to these questions and more.

View from the Aisles: Retailer Insights

Ecommerce – whether DTC or through platforms like Amazon and Walmart – is an increasingly vital part of the OmniChannel strategy for brands, but what’s the best strategy for brands to maximize their success? What are retailers looking for in the microbiome space? And what is happening with the various quality initiatives introduce by retailers such as Amazon and Wegmans? This session will provide insights from key retailers and commercial experts to help brands and marketers succeed in an increasingly crowded space.

Companion Animals

Dog and cat owners are more attuned to their pets’ health and wellness than ever before, and the market offers an array of products to support the animal’s microbiome. Probiotics have been central to much of this innovation as companies expanded laterally from humans to their furry friends, but are we seeing growth for other microbiome modulators like prebiotics, postbiotics, and phages? This session will explore the science, the market, and the quality standards needed for success in the companion animal space.

Tech Advances: Enumeration, AI, and More
From Artificial Intelligence to advances in analytic techniques, and from metabolomics to targeted gene editing, researchers and businesses are leveraging an ever-expanding toolbox of technology to deepen our understanding and advance the science and opportunities around the modulation of the microbiome. This session will hear from people on the bleeding edge of tech advances to explore the possibilities and limitations of this technology for the future of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics.