Launch of the HARMONI project to work together on microbiota conservation and analysis issues

In December 2020, RARe organized a scientific day devoted to the conservation of microbiota and their characterization methods, which brought together around a hundred participants and helped identify a desire within RARe to work together on the issues of microbiota conservation and analysis.

This structuring dynamic for RARe has taken concrete form with the construction of the HARMONI project (Harmonizing microbiota characterization procedures within the national infrastructure RARe), submitted to IBISA's CRB call for tenders in spring 2021 and which has been selected.

The HARMONI project brings together five CRBs from the microbial, animal and environmental pillars in a three-part project:

Quality of DNA extraction techniques,
Examination of sequencing methods and bioinformatics analysis, which proposes to integrate long-read SMRT sequencing technologies into the characterization of microbiota,
A cross-disciplinary WP in the form of workshops devoted to the cross-assessment of protocols and results obtained, in order to optimize feedback.
A first meeting between the participating CRBs was held on March 21, 2022, and a webinar will soon be organized to present the HARMONI project in greater detail to the RARe community.

Scientific contact:

• Michel Yves-Mistou, Microbial pillar coordinator