At
Ghent University hospital, researchers are performing fecal
microbiota transplants on patients. They extract good
microbiota, tiny organisms living in the colon, from donors to
transfer it to sick patients in hope of repopulating their guts.
"How do we find donors? That's not so easy. People do not always
want to donate their faeces. It is also hard to talk about, but
we started this campaign in the press here in Flanders," said
biomedical researcher Hannelore Hamerlinck.
Beyond bowel disorders, faeces may prove to be an asset in
finding remedies for many other diseases, scientists say.
Over the past decade, a growing number of studies have suggested
an association between disruptions in gut microbiota and
illness, including allergies and cancer.
"Microbes are at the center of the system. The bacteria in the
gut produce hormones that will affect the brain. They also help
us to clear out the bad ones and digest certain things,"
Hamerlinck said.
Donors must be in good health to participate in the research.
They first have to fill out an extensive questionnaire and must
be tested over a three month period before becoming eligible to
donate.
Often people come forward as donors when a loved one has
struggled with bowel diseases, said Hamerlinck.
(Reporting by Julia Echikson; Editing by Ros Russell)
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