The research group led by Toni Gabaldón at the CRG has collaborated in epidemiological high impact projects such as the citizen's science project 'Saca la Lengua', an initiative of the CRG and the "la Caixa" Foundation, with the participation of the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). During this project, 1600 saliva samples and data from 15-year-old high school students were collected and analysed. Additionally, the CRG has been collaborating in research projects related to the human lung, gut, and skin microbiomes. Through its participation in these and other projects Gabaldon's group has acquired a vast expertise in microbiome characterisation, metagenomics studies and next generation sequencing technologies.