Jouy-en-Josas, France, 6 February 2024 – MGI, a company committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science, announced today a collaboration agreement with MetaGenoPolis, a unit within the renowned National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) in France, following MetaGenoPolis' selection as a core lab under the Million Microbiomes from Humans Project (MMHP). Through this agreement, MetaGenoPolis will be equipped with MGI’s ultra-high throughput DNBSEQ-T7 sequencer.  MetaGenoPolis will serve as a platform for processing samples from the project Le French Gut and for other researchers within the Million Microbiomes from Humans Project (MMHP).

"We are excited about the opportunity to further advance research in metagenomics sequencing," said Dr. Yong Hou, General Manager of MGI Europe and Africa. "We look forward to supporting MetaGenoPolis in their valuable work in the project Le French Gut by equipping them with our accurate and reliable high-throughput pipeline, which will ultimately contribute to MMHP."

The agreement underscores the commitment of both MGI and MetaGenoPolis to facilitate innovation in metagenomic research as part of MMHP and the project Le French Gut. The two parties aim to leverage cutting-edge technology, particularly in microbiology and metagenomics, to co-develop new applications and enable the consortium’s scientific collaboration and research. In addition, as a core lab within the MMHP framework, MetaGenoPolis is set to enhance its research capabilities with help from MGI’s state-of-the-art technology and to contribute to international standards in metagenomics sequencing across different sample types through this collaboration.

"We are delighted to partner with MGI to further our research objectives in MMHP and Le microbiote français - Le French Gut," said Alexandre Cavezza, Executive Director of MetaGenoPolis. “This collaboration will not only strengthen our capabilities, but also reinforce our commitment to advancing scientific research in this field."

"The inclusion of MetaGenoPolis as a core lab within the MMHP framework marks a significant milestone in our efforts to drive metagenomics research,” added Professor Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich, Co-Chair of the MMHP Consortium. “Their partnership with MGI will play a crucial role in supporting MMHP by providing essential infrastructure and expertise to process samples and generate valuable data."

Launched in 2019, MMHP is a global effort aimed to sequence and analyze one million microbial samples from intestines, mouth, skin, reproductive tract and other organs to form a microbiome map of the human body and build the world's largest database of human microbiomes. Part of the MMHP's global initiative, Le microbiote français - Le French Gut project was launched in 2022 to better define the gut microbiota of the healthy population and its deviation in chronic diseases. It will collect 100,000 stool samples and their associated nutritional and clinical data by 2027.

photos by ©INRAE

About MetaGenoPolis (MGP)

MetaGenoPolis (MGP) is an INRAE unit specializing in gut microbiota research applied to human and animal health and nutrition, with the aim of accelerate science and innovation. Funded by the Investing in the Future Program (winner in 2012 and 2019), MGP was coordinator of two major projects that have advanced the science of microbiota: the MetaHIT project and IHMS project. MetaHIT project published the first catalog of human intestinal microbial genes and the IHMS project helped standardize the analysis of microbial DNA. The scientific excellence of MGP in the analysis of gut microbiota and its and its implications for health and nutrition has been widely recognized in the international scientific community since 2010. https://mgps.eu/

About INRAE

INRAE, the French national research institute for l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement, is a major player in research and innovation created on January 1, 2020. The result of a merger between INRA and IRSTEA, INRAE brings together a community of 12,000 people, with 273 research, service and experimental units in 18 centers across France. The institute ranks among the world's leading research organizations in agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, and ecology-environment. It is the world's leading research organization specialized in "agriculture-food-environment". INRAE's ambition is to be a key player in the transitions needed to meet the world's major challenges. Faced with population growth, climate change, resource scarcity and declining biodiversity, the institute is building solutions for multi-performance agriculture, quality food and sustainable management of resources and ecosystems. https://www.inrae.fr/

About MGI

MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (or its affiliates, together or individually referred as “MGI”), headquartered in Shenzhen, is committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science through intelligent innovation. Based on its proprietary technology, MGI focuses on research & development, production and sales of sequencing instruments, reagents, and related products to support life science research, agriculture, precision medicine and healthcare. MGI is a leading producer of clinical high-throughput gene sequencers*, and its multi-omics platforms include genetic sequencing*, medical imaging, and laboratory automation. MGI's mission is to develop and promote advanced life science tools for future healthcare. For more information, please visit the MGI website or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube.