Domino annual meeting

The Domino consortium gathered in Madrid (15–17 April), convening partners from across Europe to shape the next phase of the project. Following one of the most intensive phases of the project, discussions reflected both consolidated results & the scale-up of activities across research, data, and real-world application, marking a clear step forward as Domino moves into year 4. 

Key highlights shaping this phase:

• The first round of 4-month RCTs on milk kefir consumption has been completed, exploring impacts on digestion and identifying gut microbiome markers, particularly in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
• The cFMD dataset has expanded to 3,444 samples from over 85 datasets collected
• Progress continues across six food case studies (France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Estonia), with fermented food samples now prepared for sequencing analysis.
• Living Labs have been conducted across Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Estonia, supporting real-world testing and stakeholder engagement.
• Consumer perception analyses in Germany provide insight into how Domino’s fermented food information resources are understood and used.
• A dedicated PhD session on “The future of DOMINO research” highlighted key challenges ahead, including the need for stronger multidisciplinary collaboration and the growing role of AI & data-driven approaches in shaping scientific practices.

Stay tuned for year 4

With the next phase already underway, Domino is scaling up its activities across research, data, and clinical work: Living Labs entering exploitation, new patient clinical trials set to begin, expanded training to support uptake of the cFMD dataset, and a second phase of consumer research focusing on trust in fermented foods.