
Photo Credit: GMbC team crosses the dry Lake Eyasi, Tanzania. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by C. Corzett
Expanding Understanding of the Human Microbiome
The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) program at OpenBiome is dedicated to conserving and promoting understanding of the global diversity of the human microbiome to advance public health.
The Microbiome: A New Frontier in Human Health

The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) program is working with a team of scientists from around the world to radically expand our view of the human microbiome and grow research capacity worldwide. We have assembled and are sharing the most globally representative collection of microbiome samples and data to catalyze groundbreaking research.
Photo Credit: GMbC co-founder Mathilde Poyet, with anaerobic gut bacteria cultured from GMbC samples. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by Justin Knight
Why We Urgently Need a Global Microbiome Conservancy
Microbiome research is transforming our understanding of human health but we are leaving many behind.
Current knowledge of the microbiome is largely focused on populations in the United States and Western Europe. Approximately 70% of samples available in public databases come from North America and Europe while 120 countries and territories have zero representation.
To fill this critical gap, the GMbC works to increase representation in microbiome sampling as well as scientific leadership. We believe that all communities should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from microbiome research.
Since 2016, the GMbC collection has radically expanded scientists' view of the microbiome. The program has collected and shared microbiome diversity derived from the stool samples of 1,200+ participants from over 30 previously underrepresented communities.

Photo Credit: GMbC signing ceremony at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by C. Corzett

Photo Credit: The GMbC team fills a cryotank with liquid nitrogen in Thailand. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by C. Corzett
The Time to Act is Now
Human microbiome diversity is diminishing at a global scale due to industrialization. As more of us live in cities, eat processed foods, and use antibiotics, we are losing the opportunity to study how humans and bacteria interact across a wide range of diets, lifestyles, and environments.
The GMbC program is a response to the tremendous need for a deeper understanding of the microbiome and for a more inclusive science that investigates the full potential of the human microbiome

Photo Credit: Microbiome samples flash frozen in liquid nitrogen in rural Senegal. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by F. Rondon
Core GMbC Activities
COLLECT: Sample a diverse range of microbiomes from around the world, prioritizing underrepresented communities.
BIOBANK: Characterize, culture, and conserve microbiome samples as well as bacterial isolates. Generate high quality sequencing data, and metadata.Â
SHARE: Provide researchers with access to samples, bacterial isolates, and data.
SUPPORT: Grow research capacity in low- and middle-income countries and benefit participating communities.
Convening a Global Community
We are privileged to work with the GMbC consortium, a global network of researchers. Their expertise and commitment has built the GMbC program into what it is today. The links provided share more information about the GMbC team, the research consortium, and our team.
Learn more about what the GMbC has to offer:
GMbC By the Numbers

Participants from underrepresented communities included in the GMbC library

Metagenomic surveys of individual stool samples

Genome-sequenced bacterial isolates

Research collaborators in more than three dozen countries worldwide
Connect With Us
Contact us to learn how you can engage with the GMbC program. We’re happy to discuss new ideas for sample collection, research collaborations, or simply our shared passion for microbiome science!
The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) Program at OpenBiome
GMbC Guiding Principles
We believe that the development of local scientific capacity – as well as the inclusion and empowerment of historically marginalized communities – is paramount for the equitable advancement of public health, economic growth, and educational opportunities worldwide.

Photo Credit: Artic Bay, Canada: One of the the coldest inhabited places on earth. ©Global Microbiome Conservancy / Photo by Le Thanh Tu NguyenÂ
History of the GMbC
The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) was founded in 2016 by scientists Mathieu Groussin, PhD and Mathilde Poyet, PhD in the laboratory of Professor Eric Alm at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States), with seed funding from the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics and key support from Dr. Ramnik Xavier of the Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Professors Mathieu Groussin, PhD and Mathilde Poyet, PhD run a joint academic laboratory at Kiel University (Germany), and are the academic leaders of the international GMbC consortium. They are also co-chairs of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board (SEAB) of the GMbC program at OpenBiome.