Our Mission

 

The Yanomami people are the largest indigenous group in the Amazon rainforest to maintain a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle. These people are of great scientific interest, since common chronic diseases found in Western societies, such as obesity, diabetes, allergy, autoimmune disorders etc., are virtually unknown among the Yanomami. Due to their traditional lifestyle and low-fat/high-fibre diet, the Yanomami have the most diverse microbiota, the community of microorganisms living in and on the human body, which is different from the microbiota of those living in industrialized societies, such as Belgium. This diversity is believed to protect against infections and environmental changes, in addition to training the immune system.

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Despite these compelling hypotheses surrounding the differences between indigenous and industrialized microbiota and their potential health implications, it's important to note the lack of functional studies directly proving health benefits attributed to the microbiota of indigenous people. Therefore, the Host-Microbiota Interaction lab of Prof. Lars Vereecke aims to determine the specific effects of the Yanomami microbiota in health and disease. To do this, PhD student Marie Thorp, together with an international team of scientist, organized an expedition to the Amazon rainforest to collect microbiota samples from the Yanomami people living along the Rio Marauiá. During this expedition, a total of 126 Yanomami people were sampled and more than 1400 samples were collected, including skin samples of the scalp, forehead, armpit and hand palm, oral samples, vaginal samples and stool samples. Importantly, this research is being conducted under the highest ethical standards and regulations.

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Of course, performing experiments with these precious samples is incredibly expensive. Therefore, we have founded YanoBiome.fund and are reaching out to the public to donate to this research. With your support, we may continue to unravel the role of the microbiota in health and disease, which opens perspectives for the development of novel therapies for diseases linked to a Western lifestyle.