General Information & How to Participate
Great question!
The American Gut Project was founded in 2012, followed by the British Gut Project, which began in 2014. These Projects are behind how The Microsetta Initiative got started in 2019; but to expand worldwide, we needed a new inclusive name for our international research studies.
Our mission continues in pursuit of collecting information from large, diverse populations. Only then can we fully discover how lifestyle and health factors are linked to people’s different microbiomes. Research is in the early stages of this quest, and we continue to collect tens of thousands of samples to have enough data to look for the answers.
We’ve given our user interface a fresh new look! If you find yourself a little disoriented, be sure to visit our “Guide for Returning Participants” to get a comprehensive overview of the changes that have been made.
The Microsetta Initiative operates from the Knight Lab and the Center for Microbiome Innovation at UC San Diego. All related projects follow a strict human subjects testing protocol overseen and approved by UC San Diego’s Human Research Protections Program. Researchers at The Microsetta Initiative work collaboratively with other laboratories at UC San Diego and worldwide to advance microbiome research.
Of course! There are no medical conditions that prevent participation. The only criteria to participate is that you must be at least six weeks old, have parental consent if a minor, and not currently incarcerated.
We suggest keeping your kit in a dry, cool location at room temperature and returning it within one month. We are not for profit, and do not issue refunds from our crowdfunding site for kits that have not been used.
We will show you the various types of microbes found in your sample and how your microbiome compares to that of other participants and populations. As more participants join the program, their added data will help expand comparisons, providing new and richer insights over time.
We have two different ways you can join the project.
Explore Your Microbiome
Tell us about yourself–your lifestyle, diet, etc.–and submit a microbiome sample by receiving an easy-to-use collection kit.
Contribute Your Time
Answer any or all of our survey questions to help scientists learn more about how factors like lifestyle and diet differ among individuals so that they can better design and analyze microbiome studies in the future.
Learn More
Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may refuse to participate or withdraw at any time. If you no longer wish to participate in this study, you may withdraw your consent by deleting your profile through your online account portal. Additionally, we reserve the right to withdraw participants who do not follow the instructions given by the study personnel.
Samples sent in without the correct account and collection information will not be processed. However, we will hold your sample for up to 60 days to allow updates to your account. We may destroy your sample and withdraw your participation following this period if we do not receive the necessary updates.
Nutritional reports and collection kits are provided as a token of our gratitude for your support in our research endeavors – a perk! While both allow you to participate practically, it’s important to note that your contribution isn’t a purchase or a fee for service. Instead, it enables us to involve the general public in our research and help advance the science. Your understanding of this distinction is greatly appreciated.
Your contribution to our academic research supports our overall mission. It’s crucial to note that we are a not-for-profit organization, and unlike a conventional business, our operations rely on a small, dedicated team of university researchers and volunteers who work diligently to facilitate your participation. Consequently, our level of service support may differ from what you’d encounter with a business. We are committed to enhancing your experience, and as we gather momentum and learn from the research, our kits, online questionnaires, and reports will continually evolve and improve. Your support plays a vital role in our ongoing progress.
You received a PayPal receipt for your contribution because Fundrazr, our crowdfunding platform, works with PayPal to securely handle the payment processing. Therefore, even if you used a credit or debit card and did not use a PayPal account for the transaction, you’ll still receive a receipt via PayPal with donation details, including the amount, date, and payment confirmation.
Contributions
Thank you for considering contributing to The Microsetta Initiative, an academic research project. Kindly note that contributions made via our crowdfunding Fundrazr page are non-refundable. We appreciate your support and understanding of our policy.
Collection Kits
We understand that situations may arise where you may need to replace your collection kit. While we do not offer refunds, we are happy to assist you with a replacement if there are issues with the delivery or if you have lost it. Please contact our help desk for further assistance, and note that additional shipping costs may apply.
Please keep in mind that replacement kits are only available for a limited period, and if it has been over a year since your kit was issued, it is no longer eligible for replacement. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
A biome is a self-contained ecosystem where all resident organisms can interact with each other and the environment. For example, a rainforest is a biome for all living things, big and small, flora and fauna. Similarly, the human body can be a biome (or many biomes) for all of the microbes that live inside it. Therefore, a microbiome refers to a community of microbes and their genes that occupy a particular environment. If you’re still wondering what microbes are, check out this A-Z fact sheet or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqFCXpA7O3k&t=3s
You may think the gut is a single body part, but it’s actually an entire group of organs from the mouth to the excretory system. It processes everything you eat, turning food into energy, nutrients, waste, cells, signals, and even thoughts. We are only beginning to understand how microbes are involved in the gut’s complex processes. Submitting a sample helps contribute to this research, enhancing our collective understanding and improving public health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-icXZ2tMRM
Microbial life is creative and has found ways to consume quite a lot of different types of compounds. Microbes are thousands of times more variable in their diets than animals, plants, or even fungi. Many are like humans in that they sustain themselves by eating other species. However, some obtain energy via photosynthesis or by processing elements of air such as nitrogen. https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/gsl/microbes
We are beginning to understand more about where the specific species inside us originate. For example, most microbes in and on babies are thought to have been passed on from their mothers, with birth mode (e.g., born vaginally or via Cesarean section) significantly influencing what types of microbes are found in babies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB0WDp-Stys
Yes! Microbes from your environment and the food you eat can impact the microbes living inside you. For instance, people who move long distances often experience changes in the composition of their microbiome, possibly because of exposure to new environments. Additionally, research has shown that the food we eat impacts the microbes in our gut. https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/changing
Please contact us and notify us of your situation so we can try to assist. Additional shipping costs may apply. However, please note that if it has been over a year since your kit was issued, it is no longer eligible for replacement.
We encourage you to ship your sample(s) back as soon as possible, ideally within 48 hours of collection. However, the collection materials are designed to stabilize your sample for several weeks so it does not degrade in quality should you experience short delays in returning your sample. Friday shipments are also okay, as the sample will remain stable over the weekend until it reaches our lab. Please contact us if you have concerns about the length of time that has passed since you collected your sample.
Yes, even if you have only a small amount to collect from the toilet paper we can still process your sample. We recommend carefully rubbing enough on both sides of the cotton tip to get a light visible smear. If you regularly experience constipation or often wipe dry such that you are not able to swab a visible smear, please wait to open your sampling swab and collection tube until conditions improve.
Yes, you can, but it’s better if you don’t in order to minimize contamination of the sample. However, we understand that the timing to participate may not always be convenient so if it’s unavoidable, you can still submit the sample.
If you’re having trouble, take a clear photo of the barcode with your phone and zoom in for a better view. If issues persist, contact our support team.
Once our lab at UC San Diego receives your sample, it goes through a multi-step process to extract and analyze its information.
Step 1 - Sample Preparation
Using the barcode on your specimen collection tube, we scan the sample and verify it’s all set for processing. Most importantly, we must ensure that you have completed the consent process online. If we are missing something, you will receive an email on how to correct the issue. In these cases, we store samples in our -20°C freezers to maintain sample quality until you have completed the necessary steps.
Finally, if a sample meets the requirements for processing, we prepare it for molecular work.
First, we use robots to extract genomic DNA from your sample. Using that, we either use a process called shotgun metagenomic sequencing to grab random snippets from all of the DNA found in a sample, or we create many copies of a gene that is present in all bacteria, called the 16S rRNA gene, through a process called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This helps us identify which bacteria are in your sample by boosting the amount of gene information that can be measured. If you are interested in learning more about the molecular process, our full protocol is available here.
Then, those DNA snippets or 16S copies are sequenced on an Illumina DNA sequencing instrument at the Institute for Genomic Medicine at UC San Diego. This process reads the DNA through chemical processes that result in flashes of light which are interpreted by the sequencing instrument as nucleotides (e.g., As, Ts, Gs, and Cs). Once we receive the sequencing data back, we can dive into the analysis phase.
We use a data analysis software tool called QIIME (“chime”) to analyze Microsetta data. This tool helps us analyze the millions (sometimes billions) of DNA sequences from all the samples we receive and ultimately generate your results. Because the amount of sequence data we analyze is so large, we use supercomputers in what are called high-performance computing systems.
Collecting as many samples as possible to assemble a database will help advance scientific studies, as researchers can look at the data across samples and discover connections. For example, if a researcher wants to ask if a particular microbe is associated with individuals who eat a plant-based diet, they can do so using the Microsetta Initiative data (caution: an association does not mean causation). Adding your sample contributes to research that seeks to make connections between various lifestyle factors and the gut microbiome; large sample sizes are valuable for detecting subtle (but important) effects!
Yes, but sequence data from your genome are deleted. Although the process of shotgun metagenomic sequencing does generate data from DNA in human cells, these data are removed before any analysis or data deposition using the standard practices from the National Institutes of Health.
The 16S rRNA gene is ubiquitous in bacteria and archaea and acts as a barcode for differentiating the types of bacteria and archaea that are present. From the DNA extracted from your sample, one part of this gene is targeted for amplification (i.e., many copies are made), and then those copies are sequenced to determine the types of microbes found in your gut.
Like 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomic sequencing allows researchers to assess the types of microorganisms present in a sample. However, unlike 16S, this technique generates data from all over the genomes of the different organisms. Therefore, it is not limited to a specific region of a particular gene. In brief, we take random snippets from all of the DNA found in a sample and then sequence as much of it as we can.
Any data that allows you to be directly identified, such as your name and address are kept under lock and key on our secure servers, physically located in a 24/7 monitored access controlled facility on UC San Diego’s campus, and is only accessible to relevant staff such as Dr. Knight, Co-Investigators, project and sample coordinators, IT administrators and database coders. In addition, we link your dietary and lifestyle data to your sample through a unique internal identifier, and only the researchers that work directly with Microsetta data have access to identifiers relative to personal data. Your directly identifying information will be destroyed by deletion from our secure servers at the end of the study or if you withdraw from the study.
Our project and all aspects have been reviewed by UC San Diego’s Office of IRB Administration (OIA) to ensure our research is in accordance with government and ethical guidelines. Despite these measures, loss of confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. But know that we take every precaution to protect your identity and minimize the risks.
Please see our Privacy Statement for more information.
All of the health, lifestyle, and microbial sequencing data that we collect are made public through the European Bioinformatics Institute and Qiita, enabling researchers worldwide to ask groundbreaking questions using the Microsetta dataset.
As an academic research project, The Microsetta Initiative focuses on conducting research and generating knowledge. However, please note that we do not offer any health, diagnostic, or actionable information. Our goal is to contribute to the scientific understanding of the microbiome and its impact on human health, and we are not a diagnostic or healthcare service.
There could be many reasons your report might not look the same as the last time you viewed it. First, as more participants join the program, their added data will help expand comparisons, affecting the results we provide that are based on how you compare to others. Second, as our understanding of the human microbiome grows, we will update your report to incorporate the latest analysis tools and the most exciting findings.
Share the knowledge! Pass this on to your friends and family who want to learn more about gut health.
