Researchers from Monash Malaysia will pay you to poop for them

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Have you ever had to do a number two in the loo and thought to yourself, if only you could be paid for your poo? If so, then today’s your lucky day as a group of researchers are working to know more about the inner workings of the guts of Malaysians.

Called the 1000MYMicrobiome, this research study is being carried out by Monash University Malaysia and the Asian Microbiome Library (AMILI), the first microbiome start-up in the region. Their goal is to profile 1,000 Malaysian microbiomes through the sequencing of stool samples. In other words, they want to look at your poop to learn more about the diversity and composition of your gut microbiota.

If you’re keen on participating in this research study, not only will you help improve the understanding of Malaysians’ health gut microbiota and in turn allow for better management of gut-related diseases in the country, but you’ll also be able to receive a RM50 payout for your participation. You’ll also get a gut health report from the researchers that can hopefully let you know more about yourself.

Those of you who end up helping the researchers will be asked to provide a stool specimen, a urine specimen, a saliva specimen if you live within 10km of the Monash Malaysia campus as well as information on your diet and your lifestyle. It should be pointed out though that it’s crucial for participants to answer the questionnaire as accurately as possible and to inform the researchers if you’re on any medication or already have gastrointestinal conditions such as constipation or diarrhoea.

The research is being funded by the AMILI Pte Ltd, Southeast Asia’s first precision gut microbiome company around and is being carried out in collaboration with Monash Malaysia. According to the researchers, the sequence data of participants’ samples will be put into public domain and in the AMILI and Monash microbiome database, but have no fear all personal information obtained in the study will be kept and handled in a confidential manner.

Interested participants can click here to head over to the 1000MYMicrobiome website to learn more and sign up for the research study. You’ll also find video guides to help you visualise the poop and pee collection process. If you’ve got more questions about the research study, you may contact Prof Sadequr Rahman at sadequr.rahman@monash.edu, Dr Chong Chun Wie at ChongChunWie@monash.edu or Dr Polly Yap at polly.yap@monash.edu. — SoyaCincau