Microbes and One Health : A Joint EnvA and UPCité Scientific Day – 29th May 2026

On 28 May 2026, more than 100 researchers from Université Paris Cité and the École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort (EnvA) gathered at the Odéon campus for the first edition of the ‘Microbes and One Health’ scientific symposium. Jointly organised by researchers from the MICROB’UP Institute and EnvA, with the support of InIdEx MicrobEX and the Graduate School One Health – Emerging Infectious Diseases (1H-EID), the event aimed to foster exchanges between the scientific communities of the two institutions on issues relating to microbiology and global health.

A day dedicated to the One Health approach

The ‘One Health’ concept is based on the idea that human health, animal health and the health of ecosystems are closely interlinked. In a context marked by the emergence of new infectious diseases, the rise of antibiotic resistance and the impact of climate change on infectious diseases, this approach seems more relevant than ever.

Opening the day’s proceedings, Anne-Paule Roqueplo, Vice-President for Research at Université Paris Cité, emphasised that this symposium marked one of the first concrete outcome of the partnership initiated between Université Paris Cité and the École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort following the ‘Convergences’ event on 24 November 2025. She reiterated the shared ambition to bring the scientific communities of the two institutions closer together in order to develop a research network focusing on issues in microbiology and global health, and to foster the emergence of new, large-scale collaborative projects.

During his speech late in the morning, Mathieu Resche-Rigon, Dean of the Faculty of Health, emphasised the strategic importance of the One Health approach in addressing current health challenges. He called on researchers at Université Paris Cité to step up their involvement in this area, to develop interdisciplinary collaborations and to seize national and European funding opportunities in order to firmly establish the university as a key player.

Three scientific sessions exploring the interfaces between microbiology, human health and animal health

The day was structured around three major cross-cutting themes, illustrating the diversity of expertise within the two communities:

Animal models and organoids
Vaccines, antimicrobial strategies and resistance
Infectious diseases: at the interface between the environment, reservoirs and vectors

Presenting networks and building the community

In addition to the scientific sessions, the symposium also provided an opportunity to present several initiatives bringing together research and training in the fields of infectious diseases and microbiology:

IHM MICROB’UP and InIdEx MicrobEX;

LabEx IBEID;

the One Health – Emerging Infectious Diseases (1H-EID) Graduate School;

the Graduate School on Antimicrobial Resistance;

the new Doctoral School on Microorganisms and Infections.

Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the Humanimal Institute through a presentation by Xavier Lescure.

Strong engagement from the scientific community

The poster session was a highlight of the day, offering participants the opportunity to present their research, platforms or teams, and to forge new scientific connections.

With over 100 participants, nearly a third of whom were from EnvA, this inaugural event demonstrates the community’s interest in developing a shared scientific network centred on One Health themes.

Towards new collaborations

This symposium marks an important step in building a shared academic community between Université Paris Cité and EnvA. The numerous discussions that took place throughout the day confirmed the strong complementarities between researchers at the two institutions and the potential for developing joint projects in the years to come.

Thank you to all the speakers, participants and contributors who made this first edition a success, as well as to the researchers from MICROB’UP and EnvA involved in organising the event. Thank you as well to the InIdEx MicrobEX and the Graduate School One Health – Emerging Infectious Diseases (1H-EID) for their support of this event.

👉 Program and poster abstracts

Organizing Team:

Nicole Pavio (EnvA, UMR virologie), Sophie Le Poder (EnvA, UMR virologie), Bernard Klonjkowski (EnvA, UMR Virologie), Nadia Haddad (EnvA, UMR BIPAR), Sara Moutailler (EnvA, UMR BIPAR), Gregory Karadjian (EnvA, UMR BIPAR), Benoît Durant (EnvA, UMR EpiMIM), Charlotte Charpentier (UPCité, IAME), Isabelle Martin-Verstraete (Institut Pasteur, 1HEID), Jérôme Clain (UPCité, MERIT), Jérôme Estaquier (UPCité, Healthfex), Xavier Lescure (UPCité, IAME), Alexandre Alanio (Institut Pasteur), Nicole Bertola (UPCité, Cheffe de projet 1HEID) et Emilie Lejal (UPCité)

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