MetaGenoPolis

What MetaGenoPolis does

MetaGenoPolis (also referred to as Metagenopolis) is a non-profit public scientific and technological research unit of INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement), headquartered in Jouy-en-Josas, France, and founded in 2012. It is a national research infrastructure dedicated to the study of human and animal microbiota, with the stated goal of accelerating scientific discovery and innovation in metagenomics to better understand the role of microorganisms in health and disease and to foster personalized nutritional and medical solutions.

The organization's offering is organized around three integrated service platforms: SAMBO for clinical study design, sample management, and standardized DNA extraction and storage; MetaQuant, a quantitative metagenomics pipeline delivering high-resolution whole-genome-sequencing-based gut microbiome profiles with bioinformatics and biostatistics; and MetaFun, a functional metagenomics pipeline with high-throughput screening to characterize host–microbe interactions. These services are supported by proprietary computational assets, including the MSPminer bioinformatics method that reconstructs gene repertoires of more than 1,600 human intestinal microbiome species at strain-level resolution, and a 3D structure-based ARD prediction method. Underpinning these platforms is a 600,000-sample -80°C biobank and 18 metagenomic clone libraries totaling 575,000 clones.

MetaGenoPolis monetizes through fee-for-service research collaborations with industry partners in the pharmaceutical, nutrition, animal health, and clinical research sectors, alongside public research grants and multi-year European consortium funding. Named enterprise partners include Sanofi, DuPont Nutrition & Health, Roquette, Kaleido Biosciences, and BIOASTER, while large-scale programs such as Le French Gut (a national microbiome cohort with 28,000+ participants as of November 2025), the €9.9 million ATTRACTion precision-medicine consortium, and the GEMMA autism and Homo symbiosus projects provide additional funding and data assets. The organization holds ISO 27001 certification, coordinates the International Human Microbiome Standards (IHMS) project, and is Carnot Qualiment labeled. It has contributed to the creation of microbiome startups including Enterome, MaaT Pharma, and Novobiome.

Name

MetaGenoPolis

Legal name

MetaGenoPolis

Website

https://mgps.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MetaGenoPolis is a non-profit INRAE research unit providing end-to-end metagenomics services — DNA extraction, quantitative and functional metagenomics, and bioinformatics — to pharmaceutical, nutrition, animal health, and clinical research partners, anchored by a 600,000-sample biobank and the national Le French Gut cohort.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microbiome Research Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiome & Metagenomics Services (HLAGANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioinformatics, Multi-Omics Data Analysis & Interpretation Services (HLAGANAI), Microbiome Analytics, Sequencing & Bioinformatics Platforms (HLAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Microbiome research services
• Metagenomics analysis
• DNA extraction services
• Biobanking services
• Functional metagenomics

Headquarters

HQ city

Jouy-en-josas

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Services: Fee-for-service research collaborations offering microbiome analysis including DNA extraction, sequencing, bioinformatics and biostatistics for human and animal health applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MetaGenoPolis provides end-to-end microbiome research services to pharmaceutical, nutrition, animal health, and clinical research organizations. Its core deliverables cover clinical study design, standardized sample collection, DNA extraction and biobank storage (SAMBO), quantitative metagenomics via shotgun sequencing with bioinformatics and biostatistics (MetaQuant), and functional metagenomics through high-throughput screening of gut bacteria-host cell interactions (MetaFun). The work is delivered as fee-for-service, tailor-made R&D collaborations that generate intellectual property for industry partners.

Product overview

MetaGenoPolis is a national research infrastructure dedicated to the study of human and animal microbiota, offering three integrated service lines: (1) SAMBO for sample management and DNA extraction, (2) MetaQuant for quantitative metagenomics with whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics, and (3) MetaFun for functional metagenomics with high-throughput screening. These services are supported by proprietary bioinformatics methods including MSPminer for Metagenomic Species Pan-genome analysis and access to biobanking facilities, all designed to accelerate scientific discovery in metagenomics for human and animal health applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAMBO — Sample Management, DNA Extraction & Storage End-to-end service covering design and implementation of clinical studies, gold-standard sample collection, standardized and high-quality DNA extraction pipeline, and -80°C biobank storage. Used by pharmaceutical, nutrition, animal health, and clinical research organizations running microbiome studies.
• MetaQuant — Quantitative Metagenomics Integrated pipeline providing high-resolution metagenomic profiles of human and animal gut samples through shotgun whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and biostatistics at strain-level resolution. Delivered to industry and academic customers requiring quantitative microbiome characterization.
• MetaFun — Functional Metagenomics Integrated pipeline using high-throughput functional metagenomic screening of metagenomic clone libraries to explore mechanisms and interactions between gut bacteria and human cells. Used by pharmaceutical and nutrition industry clients to elucidate mechanisms of probiotic strains and to identify bioactive functions.
• Biobanking Services Storage of human stool samples in a -80°C freezer facility with capacity for 600,000 samples, available for industry partners and clinical studies as part of MetaGenoPolis's microbiome research services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reconstructed gene repertoire of more than 1600 species of human intestinal microbiome
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• INRAEcoreOthersParent organization providing institutional framework and access to large public ecosystem including omics, in vivo models, clinical data, and national cohorts
• EnteromecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup spin-off from MetaGenoPolis contributing to successful company creation in microbiome field
• Maat PharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup spin-off from MetaGenoPolis contributing to successful company creation in microbiome field
• NovobiomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup spin-off from MetaGenoPolis contributing to successful company creation in microbiome field
• SOCA - Social Acceptability Platform UCLyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Acceptability platform at Lyon Catholic University accompanying scientific platforms
• BIOASTERmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership providing expanded technological offerings for microbiome exploration including targeted culturomics with innovative applications for human and animal health
• Kaleido BiosciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to evaluate immunomodulator and homeostatic potential of Metabolic Microbiome Therapies (MMT) - patented synthetic glycans for improving human health via gut microbiome
• RoquettemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year research project to identify bacteria of human gut microbiome capable of degrading different types of prebiotic fibers and characterize biomolecules involved in degradation
• SanofimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to understand mechanism of action of probiotic Bacillus clausii (Enterogermina), marketed for 60+ years for diarrhea prevention and treatment
• DuPont Nutrition & HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D collaboration using functional metagenomics approach to elucidate molecular mechanisms of DuPont probiotic bacterial strains
• ATTRACTion ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner9.9 million euro, 5-year program coordinated by Institut Imagine to develop precision medicine for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases associated with primary immune deficiencies

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Second Genome: US-based microbiome drug-discovery CRO using functional metagenomics and multi-omic analytics for pharma partners. Comparable because it offers MGP's same functional-metagenomics service category to the same pharma and nutrition customer base.
• MaaT Pharma: French microbiome therapeutics company and MGP spin-off developing gut-microbiome restoration therapies. Comparable as a closely linked ecosystem player whose discovery programs originated from MGP's metagenomics research.
• Enterome: Microbiome diagnostics and therapeutics company spun out of MetaGenoPolis. Directly comparable because it was built on MGP's metagenomics data and continues to leverage functional microbiome biology for companion diagnostics and immuno-oncology applications.
• CosmosID: Microbiome identification and sequencing-services company with proprietary bioinformatics for strain-level resolution. Comparable because it competes for industrial microbiome service contracts and emphasizes end-to-end wet lab + bioinformatics pipelines.
• BIOASTER: French microbiology and infectious-disease technology research institute that has a formal strategic partnership with MGP. Comparable because it operates a parallel public-funded research infrastructure model offering microbiomics services to industry sponsors.
• Novobiome: Microbiome drug-discovery company spun out of the MGP ecosystem. Comparable because it translates gut microbiome strain-level biology into small-molecule therapeutics in the same functional metagenomics paradigm MGP enables.

Emerging players

• ZOE: Personalized nutrition company combining large-cohort microbiome data with continuous glucose monitoring. Comparable because it operates at population-scale cohort analysis in nutrition, mirroring MGP's Le French Gut ambitions and shotgun-metagenomics biomarker discovery.
• Day Two: Personalized microbiome-based nutrition platform for glycemic control. Comparable because it converts metagenomic profiles into actionable nutritional recommendations, intersecting with MGP's nutrition-industry customer use cases.
• Vedanta Biosciences: Clinical-stage microbiome therapeutics company focused on defined bacterial consortia. Comparable as a downstream user of metagenomics insights that overlaps with MGP's functional screening approach for identifying therapeutic strains.

Broad incumbents

• Seres Therapeutics: Pioneer commercial-stage microbiome therapeutics company (SER-109 for recurrent C. diff). Comparable as a benchmark commercial player that translates microbiome science into FDA-regulated products, illustrating the downstream market MGP's platform enables.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MgpsLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metagenopolis

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MetaGenoPolis