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Article History

Received: 8 February 2026

Accepted: 14 June 2026

First Online: 27 June 2026

Declarations

:

: Not applicable.

: All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript for publication.

: M.F. has expertise in Human Nutrition and Microbiology, with a particular focus on Clinical Nutrition and the Human Gut Microbiome. Her extensive experience across Education, Research, and Healthcare has enabled her to integrate these domains into a strongly translational and patient-centric research perspective, driven by a deep sense of care and responsibility to address unmet health needs she has directly witnessed during her professional journey. She considers patients not as “them,” but as ourselves – our families, our friends, our colleagues, and our neighbours – in urgent need of better health solutions. Guided by empathy and compassion, she advocates for humanity in medical research and for research committed to improving the health of patients and society. H.S. has expertise in Microbial Ecology and is passionate about the role micro-organisms play in all facets of planetary health and dedicates his efforts towards deploying Microbiomes to address challenges we face regarding Human, Animal, Plant and Environmental Health. He holds a professorship in Complex Microbial Ecosystems at Wageningen University & Research, coordinates the large UNLOCK infrastructure for Microbiome Research and is Co-Chair of the Wageningen Microbiome Center. He is deeply convicted that scientific research as integral part of society can only flourish through adopting a strongly collaborative rather than competitive spirit.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.