A team of researchers at Ghent University hospital in Belgium are on the lookout for people who will donate their feces to study of a wide range of diseases, from bowel disorders and allergies to neurological conditions diseases.
They extract tiny organisms living in the colon, from healthy donors and transfer them to sick patients in what they hope may help repopulate their bowels with good microbiota.
Scientists believe that human excrement may prove to be an asset in finding remedies for many other diseases.
Numerous studies made over the past decade, have shown positive associations between the healing properties of feces and the treatment of depression, cancer, autism, Parkinson's disease and allergies.
"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.
Only healthy donors are allowed to participate in the research and they must be tested over a three month period before becoming eligible to donate.
