Manuela is inspired by the Belgian project Isala. Researchers from the University of Antwerp were the first to launch a call in 2020 to recruit women to help map the female microbiome. Initially, the Isala team sought 200 women, but within just a few days, over 5,000 participants joined. This impressive result led to extensive data collection, enabling a deep analysis of the female microbiome and highlighting its potential to improve the quality of life for women, their partners, and their children.
The team at the University of Antwerp maintained open and transparent communication, encouraging other researchers to collaborate for a better understanding of women’s health. Inspired by Isala, an increasing number of international research teams have initiated their own related projects, forming a citizen science community named after pioneering women in science. This network fosters an ecosystem where teams from different countries share best practices.
We are very proud to be part of this international research with our Manuela project in Spain. Today, these are the international “sisters” of ISALA:
- Isala, Belgium
- Laura, Peru
- Lèa, Canada
- Marie, Switzerland
- Manuela, Spain
- Madeleine, France
- Florence, United Kingdom
- Leke, Cameroon
- Dora, Nigeria
- Fatima, Marocco
- Florence, Uganda
- Mary Malahlela, South Africa
For a long time, scientific interest in the female microbiome has been limited, so it is exciting to see how citizen science projects around the world are generating new knowledge. Each participant in these global studies is making a significant contribution to the understanding of women’s healthAt MANUELA, we are thrilled to be part of this initiative, and the best part is that you can also join this global community by participating in our survey.
Join MANUELA!
