[Large health cohorts in France]

A cohort is composed of a group of individuals sharing a number of features and who are monitored longitudinally, at the individual level, according to a pre-established protocol. Since 2008, funding of health cohorts in France by Trés Grandes Infrastructures de Recherche (Very Large Research Infrastructures, TGIR) and associated public stimulus investments has led to the creation of 15 very large cohorts involving either the general population or patients with particular diseases. As platforms for research in life sciences and health, these cohorts, funded for ten years, will develop shareable databases. Many health issues, especially biological, medical, social and environmental disease determinants and their interactions, will benefit from innovative approaches. Parallel constitution of biobanks and the use of new technologies for communication, data sharing and international cooperation will reinforce this initiative. A new longitudinal and systematic approach is strengthening the research infrastructure.