Groussin and Poyet receive Gates Foundation grant to investigate links between the microbiome and pregnancy
The Gates Foundation is funding the research project “Characterisation of gut bacteria to improve maternal health” at Kiel University and UKSH, which investigates the gut microbiome’s influence on the course and outcome of pregnancy in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs).
- Joint press release by Kiel University and the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) -
The Gates Foundation is funding the research project “Characterisation of gut bacteria to improve maternal health” at Kiel University and the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Kiel Campus, with around 170.000 euros. Professors Mathieu Groussin and Mathilde Poyet, from the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB) and Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM) at Kiel University’s Faculty of Medicine and UKSH and their research teams will use this funding to screen their in-house biobank of gut bacteria and functionally investigate bacterial species in the gut associated with positive maternal and infant health outcome in LMIC cohorts – over the course of one year, the scientists in this project will have a chance to shed light on the relationship between the diversity and composition of the human gut microbiome and the course of pregnancies.
The project is based on the finding – confirmed in recent years from many different scientific perspectives – that the composition and balance of the gut microbiome have a decisive influence on human health. “This naturally also affects the health of the expectant mother, especially in their protection against enteric pathogens, meaning that the commensal microorganisms in their body can influence the course and outcome of the pregnancy,” emphasises Groussin, head of the Genomics and Functions of Host Microbiome Systems research group at IKMB. “However, these links have not yet been extensively researched, so we now wish to take this aspect into account in our comprehensive studies on the human gut microbiome.” Specifically, the project aims, in collaboration with the Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) project in Kiel, to harness certain bacterial species – which, from a global perspective, are associated with positive pregnancy outcomes – for potential therapeutic approaches.
The funding from the Gates Foundation recognises the outstanding research work carried out by Mathieu Groussin and Mathilde Poyet and their teams. By establishing a biobank that is unique worldwide and drawing on their excellent expertise in microbiome research, they have created conditions in Kiel that set international standards. The fact that this project is now receiving funding will strengthen Kiel as a centre of research in the long term and underlines the international visibility and competitiveness of Kiel University and UKSH in a forward-looking field of research.
Research into the microbiome is a key component of the innovative medicine of the future. The project led by Mathieu Groussin and Mathilde Poyet, drawing on the unique Kiel microbiome biobank, combines cutting-edge microbiome research with clinical application, thereby laying the groundwork for translating scientific findings into concrete health applications. The insights gained thus open up new possibilities for precision medicine and prevention.
Global microbial diversity holds possible benefits for pregnancy outcomes
The human gut microbiome is not the same in all people: on the contrary, it varies, for example, between individuals, it depends on whether they are healthy or unwell, and also on the geographical origin and level of societal development. “We can observe that, in many underrepresented communities around the globe the diversity of the human gut microbiome is richer and more varied, depending on the level of industrialisation and lifestyle,” says Poyet.
With regard to the health of expectant mothers, previous studies intriguingly discovered microbiome characteristics linked to maternal and infant health in LMICs: “There appears to be a very clear link between the presence of certain bacterial species and positive pregnancy outcomes. And these potentially beneficial target species seem to be strongly represented in the gut microbiome of people especially living in certain low- and middle-income countries, which overall exhibit high levels of microbial diversity,” explains Groussin.
Based on these and many similar observations, researchers around the world are working to develop therapeutic applications for various conditions by combining live bacteria – so-called next-generation probiotics, some of which might prove to be useful in supporting a healthy course of pregnancy. “However, in the case of these bacterial species that may be linked to healthy pregnancies, there is a fundamental problem: live cultures of these target species are rarely, if ever, available in publicly accessible biobanks. This severely limits our understanding of their mechanisms of action and their potential role in human health, and thus their possible use in translational and clinical applications,” Poyet points out.
The Global Microbiome Conservancy resources holds unique functional diversity
In this regard, Groussin and Poyet’s innovative research project can draw on existing ressources in Kiel that have already been established as part of the GMbC microbiome biobank: An extensive collection of bacteria compiled through years of global research collaborations, could help to bridge this gap in the future. “We have gathered a unique collection of isolated bacterial strains and stool samples that enables large-scale research into health-promoting bacterial diversity. Our aim is to characterise the genomic diversity of those bacterial strains and identify their possible functions that hold the potential to improve the health of expectant mothers in LMICs,” summarises Groussin, who is also a member of the Kiel Life Science (KLS) priority research area.
The project, which is now funded by the Gates Foundation, thus adds a specific new aspect of microbiome research to the various research consortia and institutions at Kiel University and UKSH that are already working on investigating the effects of host-microbe interactions on health and disease. These include, amongst others, the Cluster of Excellence “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation (PMI)”, the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms” and the DFG Research Group 5042 “miTarget”, in which Groussin and Poyet’s research teams are actively involved.
Prof. Mathieu Groussin and Prof. Mathilde Poyet and their teams receive a Gates Foundation grant to investigate the microbiome’s influence on pregnancy by analysing specific beneficial gut bacteria.
More information:
- Genomics and Functions of Host Microbiome Systems,
Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology, UKSH/ Medical Faculty, Kiel University:
www.ikmb.uni-kiel.de/research-group/genomics-and-functions-of-host-microbiome-systems
- Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC):
microbiomeconservancy.org
- Priority research area Kiel Life Science (KLS), Kiel University:
www.kls.uni-kiel.de
- Cluster of Excellence „Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation“ (PMI):
www.precisionmedicine.de
- Project information from the Gates Foundation::
www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2026/04/inv-097023
About Kiel Life Science (KLS)
The interdisciplinary centre for applied life sciences – Kiel Life Science (KLS) – links research at the CAU from the fields of agricultural and nutritional sciences, the natural sciences and medicine. It forms one of four research focus areas at Kiel University, and is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the cellular and molecular processes with which organisms respond to environmental influences. The research is focussed on issues such as how agricultural crop plants adapt to specific growth conditions, or how illnesses can arise through the interaction of genes, individual lifestyle and environmental factors. Health is always viewed holistically in the context of evolution. Under the research focus’ name, there are currently around 80 scientists from 40 institutes and six faculties from Kiel University working collaboratively as full members.