ILSI North America would like to take this opportunity to thank all 2016 FNSP Mid-Year Meeting attendees for their participation. For those who were unable to attend, we hope you find this review of the meeting valuable. The meeting featured presentations on subjects and research questions relevant to current ILSI North America programs as well as topics that may guide future research within the organization.  Below you will find a recap and a link to each video presentation.
THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE OF DECISION TREES
Timothy B. Adams, PhD - US Food & Drug Administration
Dr. Adams discussed the combination of the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) and the Cramer Decision Tree (CDT) as a risk assessment tool aimed at deriving a level of human intake below which a chemical is perceived to be of negligible risk, despite the absence of chemical-specific toxicity data.  The TTC has been a major advance in the prioritization and evaluation of food substances with low exposure scenarios. While proposals to update the CDT have been suggested, doing so would require collection and integration of a large, complex number of resources
FUTURE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH AT NIH
Christopher J. Lynch, PhD -  National Institutes of Health
Dr. Lynch discussed current and future plans of the recently created Office of Nutrition Research (ONR) at NIH, of which he is Director.  The ONR is developing an NIH-wide strategic plan for nutrition research and plans to draw upon ideas from a number of sources, including the ILSI North America Science Trends Report. Dr. Lynch identified scientific rigor, reproducibility and transparency in nutrition research as well as big data approaches to nutrition research as important areas of ONR focus.

SODIUM REDUCTION: FDA’S VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE
Kasey Heintz, MS - US Food & Drug Administration
Ms. Heintz outlined FDA’s recently issued draft guidance on voluntary sodium reduction targets for a wide variety of foods.  The guidance is meant to build on existing efforts already underway by many manufacturers to reduce sodium.  The draft short-term targets seek to decrease sodium intake to about 3,000 mg per day and the long-term targets seek to reduce sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. The comment period on the draft guidance opened on 2 June.  

CRISPR-Cas & FOOD: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOD SCIENCE
Rodolphe Barrangou, PhD - North Carolina State University
Dr. Barrangou provided a presentation on the capabilities and potential of CRISPR-Cas technology.  Programmable DNA cleavage using CRISPR-Cas9 enables efficient, site-specific genetic manipulation in both single cells and whole organisms. Beyond genome editing, CRISPR-based technologies now encompass transcriptional control, epigenetic alterations, genome-wide screens, gene drives, antimicrobial applications and chromosomal imaging. Dr. Barrangou noted that CRISPR has opened new avenues for agriculture, food and industrial biosciences with next-generation breeding of crops, livestock and engineering of industrial workhorses.

More Info on CRISPR-Cas9
 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pp17E4E-O8
YourGenome: http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-crispr-cas9

NON-INVASIVE METHODS FOR ASSESSING HOST-MICROBE INTERACTIONS IN THE INFANT
Sharon M. Donovan, PhD, RD - University of Illinois 
Dr. Donovan presented a novel, non-invasive approach developed by her lab that can be used to investigate the effects of diet on host intestinal gene expression, microbiome composition and host-microbe interactions. This new approach is especially valuable for infants as the intestinal tract of the newborn undergoes marked structural and functional adaptation in response to feeding. The response to human milk exceeds that of formula, suggesting that bioactive components in human milk are important in this response.

OPTIMIZING NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE GROWTH IN NEWBORNS
Teresa A. Davis, PhD - Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Davis presented research on promoting growth in newborns by optimizing nutrition strategies.  For infants born of a low birth rate, optimization of their nutritional management is crucial for achieving their immediate and long-term health and well-being.  Dr. Davis’s research suggests that intermittent bolus feeding may be more beneficial than continuous feeding to enhance protein deposition in orogastric tube-fed infants.  In addition, leucine supplementation may be a useful tool to enhance the efficiency with which nutrients are metabolized to improve lean growth.
ILSI North America
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