At the crossroads of scientific innovation and long-term collaboration, powerful insights emerge.

Sacco System—holder of one of the world’s most diverse microbial culture collections—and ProDigest—expert in advanced in vitro gut models—have joined forces to explore how specific probiotic strains can support gut barrier function and modulate immune responses.

This new study shows how  preclinical tools can reveal actionable, strain-specific data for targeted probiotic solutions.

Why This Collaboration, and Why Now?

Sacco System has built an extensive microbial culture collection. Each strain has unique characteristics valuable for applications ranging from food and nutrition to agriculture, animal health, and beyond.

As Chiara Germoni (R&D Microbiome Scientist at Sacco System) points out:

“Even closely related probiotic strains can behave very differently in the body. Understanding how each strain interacts with the immune system allows us to design products for specific health needs and populations.”

To investigate these differences, Sacco System partnered with ProDigest to use its Caco‑2/THP‑1 inflammation-induced leaky gut model to assess gut barrier integrity and immunomodulation in a reliable, ethical, and cost‑effective way. This model enabled systematic screening of multiple strains under controlled and reproducible conditions.

Discover how Sacco System leverages its microbial collection to explore probiotic properties and immune interactions using ProDigest’s models.

Studying Gut Barrier Integrity and Inflammation Together

Probiotics interact with the gut lining, which serves as the first barrier against unwanted microbes. Aging, disease, lifestyle  or other factors can weaken this barrier directly or through inflammation. In turn, leaking of some components out of the gut cause inflammation, leading to a vicious cycle of reduced gut integrity and inflammation.  Sacco System leveraged ProDigest’s  Caco-2/THP-1 inflammation-induced leaky gut cell model, which enables  the simultaneous examination of both gut barrier support and immunomodulation.

Lynn Verstrepen (Project Manager Cell Assays at ProDigest ) explains:

“The Caco-2/THP-1 model is a validated, reproducible system that simulates a leaky gut environment — the low-grade inflammation and barrier dysfunction seen in many real-life conditions, including aging. It lets us screen products for barrier-protective and anti-inflammatory effects, and when combined with our colonic fermentation models, we can also assess the impact of their metabolites. Together, this gives a complete picture of how a product can help strengthen the gut barrier and reduce inflammation.”

Learn how ProDigest’s Caco-2/THP-1 inflammation-induced leaky gut model model helps explore gut barrier integrity, inflammation, and probiotic immune effects.

ProDigest’s approach

This project reflects ProDigest’s philosophy: scientific rigor paired with tailored study design using our expertise to help our clients.

“We focus on identifying the best possible study design based on product type and research question, and then design the most cost-effective project. We guide clients throughout the process—from experimental setup and sample preparation to interpretation of results.”

For Sacco System, this approach provided clear, actionable insights allowing them to:

• Compare strain-specific effects
• Select promising candidates for targeted health applications
• Bridge in vitro findings to expected in vivo performance

Strengthening a Long-Term Scientific Partnership

Over the years, the relationship between Sacco System and ProDigest has grown into a trusted partnership built on transparency, collaboration, and scientific depth.

Sacco System highlights:

“Being involved at every step—from sample preparation to data interpretation—gave us complete confidence in the results and made this collaboration highly rewarding.”

With a deeper understanding of each strain’s functionality, Sacco System can develop precision, science-based solutions for evolving market needs—from nutrition to personalized health.

Looking Ahead

This ongoing collaboration demonstrates how combining a rich microbial collection with advanced gut models leads to meaningful discoveries. For companies exploring probiotics, prebiotics, or postbiotics, the key ingredients for success remain:

• Reliable and validated models
• Rigorous methodology
• Custom study design
• Transparent partnership workflows

Sacco System and ProDigest continue to push the boundaries of probiotic science—unlocking validated insights, enabling better products, and supporting improved health outcomes for consumers.