France 2030: The Food Systems, Microbiomes, and Health Research Program

2024-02-12 11:34:49

Professor Didier Samuel, CEO of Inserm, Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE and the Inserm and INRAE teams from the Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health research program and the Immunology and new concepts in immunotherapy unit (Inserm/ Nantes University) during the launch visit on February 12 in Nantes. ©Inserm/INRAE

The Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity Catherine Vautrin, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau, and the Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau, with Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for investment, in charge of France 2030, are launching the Food systems, microbiomes and health research program, jointly managed by INRAE and Inserm.

A pillar of the France 2030 sustainable and healthy food acceleration strategy, this program has a budget of 58 million euros over 7 years. It must help to remove scientific and social obstacles by advancing research towards a better understanding of eating behaviors, consumption patterns and the links between food, microbiome and human health.

Research regularly highlights the involvement in chronic diseases of altered microbiomes[1] and their interactions with their human host. Faced with the challenges raised by the continued increase in these chronic diseases and their weight on health systems in developed countries, innovative research approaches are necessary to better understand these interactions and remove major scientific obstacles.

The Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health research program, by funding innovative fundamental, translational and interventional research projects, will coordinate the French cutting-edge research ecosystem in these areas around two main axes:

Identify the determinants of changes in eating behavior and the conditions in which they could both contribute to the prevention of health risks and promote an evolution towards more sustainable food systems;
Understanding the mechanisms of symbiosis between a microbiome and its human host to ultimately identify personalized preventive and therapeutic measures to reduce the burden of chronic diseases linked to the microbiome.

Jointly managed by INRAE and Inserm, the program brings together numerous French research players, such as the CNRS, INRIA, the Institut Pasteur, the CEA, universities, AP-HP university hospitals, university hospital and research centers in human nutrition as well as engineering schools.

To help accelerate the French agricultural and food revolution, this Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health research program sets 3 main objectives:

Informing public policies and actions in the food sectors by evaluating intervention levers;
Identify the mechanisms involved in the microbiome-host symbiosis and its alterations, validate biomarkers and develop proof-of-concept studies in humans making it possible to evaluate the effect of prevention and/or intervention strategies for the control of chronic diseases linked to the microbiome;
Develop a toolbox applicable in clinical practice for the diagnosis and monitoring of the state of symbiosis and to provide innovative therapeutic solutions that better take into account and use microbiomes.

The National Research Agency is the operator on behalf of the State of this research program.

This research program is one of the measures supported by France 2030 to support and accelerate research work and its transfer towards innovation in the service of healthy, sustainable and traceable food.

« Through this interdisciplinary research program, INRAE will coordinate alongside Inserm, and with the support of numerous French partners, research combining innovative approaches serving the same objective: promoting access for all to healthy, sustainable and traceable food. The better understanding of the relationships between food, microbiome and health, on the scale of individual consumption habits up to that of a food system as a whole, should make it possible to respond to a pressing public health issue: reducing the incidence chronic diseases through a quality diet “, underlines Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE.

« Better understanding food-microbiomes-health interactions is a major challenge to help redefine the diet of tomorrow, more respectful of health and the environment, but also in the prevention of chronic diseases linked to different human microbiomes, indicates the Pr. Didier Samuel, CEO of Inserm. We are pleased to strengthen our collaboration with INRAE through the joint management of this major national program. By providing innovative support tools in the design and evaluation of public policies, it will position itself as a major asset for the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases linked to microbiomes thanks to the development of personalized medicine. »

As part of France 2030, the State is devoting 3 billion euros to research through ambitious research programs (the PEPR), supported by research institutions to consolidate the leadership French in key areas linked or likely to be linked to technological, economic, societal, health or environmental transformation and which are considered priorities at national or European level.

[1] The microbiome includes all of the microorganisms (microbiota) in a given environment (intestinal, vaginal, oral, etc.) as well as their entire genome, their interactions, the products of their activity (metabolites) and parameters. biological, physical and chemical in which they evolve.

About France 2030

The France 2030 investment plan:

Reflects a double ambition : sustainably transform key sectors of our economy (health, energy, automobile, aeronautics and even space) through technological innovation, and position France not only as a player, but as a leader in the world of tomorrow. From fundamental research, from the emergence of an idea to the production of a new product or service, France 2030 supports the entire life cycle of innovation until its industrialization;
Is unprecedented in its scale : €54 billion will be invested so that our companies, our universities, our research organizations, fully succeed in their transitions in these strategic sectors. The challenge: to enable them to respond competitively to the ecological and attractiveness challenges of the coming world, and to bring out the future leaders of our sectors of excellence. France 2030 is defined by two transversal objectives consisting of devoting 50% of its expenditure to the decarbonization of the economy, and 50% to emerging players, carriers of innovation without expenditure unfavorable to the environment (in the sense of the principle Do no significant harm).
Will be implemented collectively : designed and deployed in consultation with economic, academic, local and European stakeholders to determine strategic directions and key actions. Project leaders are invited to submit their application via open, demanding and selective procedures to benefit from State support.
Is managed by the General Secretariat for Investment on behalf of the Prime Minister and implemented by the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe), the National Research Agency (ANR), Bpifrance and the Banque des Territories.

More information on: france2030.gouv.fr | @SGPI_avenir