On April 9, 2026, the Microbiology, Bioenergies and Biotechnology Institute (IM2B) took part in the "One Health Day" organized as part of the One Health Festival by the city of Marseille, in partnership with numerous academic and institutional players. The event brought together around a hundred participants from research, local authorities and civil society to discuss the cross-cutting issues of human, animal and environmental health.
A day of exchanges structured around One Health issues
The day-long event on April 9 offered a rich program, alternating scientific presentations, feedback and discussion forums. The afternoon was introduced by Pierre-Edouard Fournier, Director of the IHU Méditerranée Infection, while the round table "Mediterranean territories in transition: water, environment and population health" was opened by Stefan Enoch, Vice-President of Research at Aix-Marseille University.
A highlight of the afternoon, this round table illustrated the mobilization of Aix-Marseille Université institutes committed to the One Health approach. It brought together Nicolas Roche from the Institut méditerranéen sur la transition environnementale (ITEM), Jean Gaudart from the Institut des Sciences de la Santé Publique (ISSPAM), Françoise Dignat-George from the Institut Phocéen du Cœur et des Vaisseaux (IPCV), and Jean-Michel Bolla, representing the Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie (IM2B). This diversity of expertise highlighted the complementary nature of the approaches taken by the institutes and their collective contribution to global health issues.
The event concluded with a speech by Michèle Rubirola, First Deputy Mayor of Marseille.
A scientific contribution at the heart of health issues
During the round table discussion, Jean-Michel Bolla, Director of the Membranes and Therapeutic Targets (MCT) laboratory, detailed the strategies developed to combat antibiotic resistance, a major global health issue.
His work focuses in particular on efflux mechanisms in bacteria. Overexpression of these efflux pumps is a key factor in multidrug resistance in bacteria. He has presented a patented diagnostic tool for the rapid detection of multi-drug resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is also an environmental problem, partly due to reservoirs of resistance genes in the environment.
On a regional scale, one of the challenges is to revive the pharmaceutical industry in the field of antibiotic therapy, taking into account the low economic profitability of these treatments.
A dynamic in line with IM2B's actions
IM2B's participation in this event is fully in line with its commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, at the interface between microbiology, environment and health.
It echoes its involvement in the GRUTTEE (Groupement de Recherche Universitaire sur les Techniques de Traitement et d'Épuration des Eaux) congress, which has been awarded the One Health Festival label and is supported by the institute. Held in Marseille from March 31 to April 2, 2026, this congress brought together the scientific community to discuss the challenges of water management and treatment, mobilizing complementary expertise ranging from microbiology to public health.
Strengthening synergies for global health
Through these events, IM2B confirms its role in structuring research focused on major contemporary challenges. By contributing to a better understanding of the interactions between environment and health, its teams are actively involved in implementing sustainable solutions as part of the One Health approach.
