Global Inter-Health Microbiome Observatory, an unprecedented scientific infrastructure
50 scientific cohorts, 25 countries, 5 continents: supported by the Human Microbiome Cohorts Alliance, the Global Inter-Health Microbiome Observatory is a new permanent infrastructure for the collection, harmonization, and analysis of microbiomes on a global scale. Announced on April 8, 2026, and coordinated by INRAE, with VIB-KU Leuven and the support of Inserm, and led by the World Microbiome Partnership.
Over 500,000 human microbiome profiles have already been collected through this alliance, with the goal of reaching 1 million human microbiomes by 2030 to ensure up-to-date statistical representation, and then expanding research scope to include soil, ocean, and plant microbiomes by 2028, a more complex but necessary area for covering the entire One Health continuum.
The expected outcomes are twofold: to generate actionable knowledge for research and private innovation, and to provide public authorities and citizens with consensus health indicators and access to microbiome-based solutions.
“The microbiome is both a trigger and a solution to major societal challenges: the rise of chronic diseases, the development of antimicrobial resistance, biodiversity loss, climate change, and the transition of agricultural and food systems.” – Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE
What one million profiles make possible
The strength of this alliance lies in the diversity of collected profiles from partners in dozens of countries with contrasting health and environmental contexts – Germany, Armenia, Cambodia, Cyprus, South Korea, Egypt, Spain, the United States, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and many more. The observatory aims to address several challenges, including lack of harmonized standards between countries, fragmented regulatory frameworks, and unequal access to innovations for teams from the Global South.
“Reaching one million harmonized profiles would unlock current barriers, with both methodological and scientific implications,” explains Thierry Caquet, INRAE’s Vice President for International Affairs.
This statistical power could identify global signatures, develop early diagnostic biomarkers, advance personalized therapeutic solutions, and drive large-scale predictive models, particularly through artificial intelligence, ushering in new prospects for personalized medicine and precision nutrition. The economic implications are also significant: the global market for microbiome-based products for human health is estimated at $1.4 billion in 2027, while agricultural applications such as crop biostimulants, microbial additives, and soil microbiome restoration are valued at nearly $12 billion annually.
“This ambitious international project requires commitment at all levels from governmental institutions and funding organizations to support its development and foster dialogue between science and decision-making.” – Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE
Shotgun metagenomics, French expertise since 2010
Shotgun metagenomics has been developing in France since 2010, notably through the MetaHIT project (2008-2013), a European consortium of 13 partners from 8 countries, coordinated by INRAE. A publication in Nature in 2010 established a reference catalog of genes from the human gut microbiome, with 3.3 million genes, 150 times more than the human genome, serving as the basis for subsequent studies on human microbiome diversity and functions. The new global observatory capitalizes on national programs such as France 2030 PEPR SAMS and France Cohorts, with 30 million euros invested through the French Gut project.
PREZODE: World Bank joins zoonotic diseases prevention initiative
The World Bank has officially announced its support for the PREZODE initiative, with a focused commitment to projects in Central and West Africa. The initiative has seen significant expansion, with the addition of seven new countries – Armenia, Cyprus, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Kenya, Libya, and Mauritania, and the Islamic Development Bank has also joined financially. It has also established partnerships with various regional health authorities.
Initiated during the 2021 One Planet Summit by Cirad, INRAE, and IRD, PREZODE now has over 280 members and observers working towards preventing zoonotic disease emergence and is part of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).
“At the outset of PREZODE, we believed that only a science-based One Health approach could lead to the necessary changes to prevent future pandemics.” – Elisa…
