About This Project

Any probiotic intended for consumption has to clear two safety checks, which are antibiotic susceptibility and no harmful inflammation. We have isolated Bifidobacterium strains from Indonesia and published their genomes, but wet lab tests have not been done. This project will measure each strain’s antibiotic susceptibility and its effect on immune signalling. The results will determine which strains move forward, and other researchers can reference them.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Most probiotics sold worldwide were isolated from the Global North or Japan (Vanaesch et al. 2026). Indonesian carry a different gut community, shaped by different births, feeding, and surroundings. We wondered whether strains from Indonesian native might suit Indonesian better, also as an affordable option.

We collected them from breast milk and infant stool. First, we isolated Bifidobacterium strains, sequenced their whole genomes, and published the findings.

The genomes told us what the strains might do, but they cannot tell us what they actually do. Two questions matter most before any strain goes for clinical validation. First, does it carry antibiotic resistance genes, and does it calm or irritate the gut lining? Both are answered in the laboratory validation.

What is the significance of this project?

Infection in the first weeks of life kills around 570,000 babies a year, almost all in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) (Dramowski et al. 2025). Antibiotics are the usual answer, but resistance is rising, and they do nothing to prevent infection. Probiotics are the promising alternative, yet the strains are expensive to license and were developed for other populations.

A locally isolated strain could change that. This project produces the first laboratory safety profile of Indonesian Bifidobacterium strains. The data will be published openly, so other groups working on infant probiotics in Indonesia and elsewhere can use it

What are the goals of the project?

We will test three strain candidates over about six months.

First, we will assess the antibiotic susceptibility of each strain. We will grow each strain anaerobically and measure the lowest concentration of a panel of antibiotics that stops it from growing. We will then compare those measured values with the resistance genes we can already see in the genomes.

Second, we will evaluate the immune response to each strain. We will grow Caco-2 cells, a human cell line widely used as a model of the intestinal lining, and expose them to each strain. Using ELISA, we will measure the signalling molecules the cells release afterwards.

These give a safety profile for each strain and tell us which one to carry forward. We will post results as we get them in Lab Notes and submit the work for peer review.