The Marie Project is a citizen science initiative led by the Swiss TPH, aiming to raise public awareness about the significance of vaginal microbes and address the taboos and misconceptions surrounding vaginal health.
Let’s challenge together how Swiss society talks about vaginal health
There are many ways you can support our initiative!
And, you can preregister as a participant in the study.
Why studying the vaginal microbiome is important
The vagina is a unique and constantly changing environment, influenced by a woman’s menstrual cycle and life stages. It hosts a variety of microbes that, along with their surroundings, form the vaginal microbiome.
Maintaining a balanced vaginal microbiome is essential for a healthy vaginal environment.
The vagina’s natural acidity, thanks to good bacteria, plays a key role in protecting women from infections and complications during pregnancy. But when these helpful bacteria decrease, risks like STDs and pregnancy complications can increase, showing just how important a healthy vaginal environment is for a woman’s overall reproductive health, and that of her partner and children too.
Despite its importance, the vaginal microbiome hasn’t been studied as much as other parts of the body, making up only a tiny fraction of all human microbiome research. This leaves many questions unanswered and highlights a big need for more studies.
Most of the research done so far has involved small groups of women who are pregnant or of childbearing age. This leaves big, unanswered questions like “What is a healthy vaginal microbiome?” and “How does it protect against infections?” More research and changing how we view and talk about vaginal health are crucial to improving women’s health care.
How we want to study the vaginal microbiome
We’ve structured a two-phase study to delve into the vaginal microbiome. Initially, we’re inviting anyone with a vagina to join a comprehensive health survey. This survey is designed to help us understand how hygiene practices, diet, and medication usage might influence the diversity of the vaginal microbiome.
In the second phase, participants who have completed the survey will get a chance to explore their own vaginal microbiome more closely by taking self-samples. They will collect their own samples, which we will analyze in our lab. This analysis is geared towards providing individual insights into each participant’s microbiome.
The insights gathered from both the survey and the lab analysis will shed light on the broader state of vaginal health among women in Switzerland and uncover widespread myths and taboos surrounding this topic.
Our goal is to offer participants meaningful, personal insights through this pioneering approach. However, the sophisticated technology required for lab analysis is costly and demands significant funding. We plan to start with a pilot study involving 500 participants to collect preliminary data and fine-tune our methodology. After this initial phase, we aim to publish our results and seek additional funding to further and expand our research.
Who we are
The core team behind Marie includes Sonja Merten, Mónica Ticlla Ccenhua, Mari Dumbaugh, Natasha Arora, Pia Viviani, Jenny Casetti, and Ethel Mendocilla Sato — a diverse group of researchers, science communicators, and citizen scientists based in Switzerland.
We are united by a shared commitment to advancing women’s health through inclusive, participatory, and interdisciplinary research.
Our work is hosted by:
- The Society, Gender and Health Unit at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)
- The Forensic Genetics Department at Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine
Our mission
We want to give you the power to meet your vaginal microbiome and find out together to what extent it influences your health and well-being
Our vision
Our dream is a world where women enjoy a healthier life thanks to societies that speak openly about vaginal health and invest in female-centered innovative research and therapeutics.
Our Inspiration
Marie was inspired by the Isala project, a pioneering vaginal microbiome study led by Prof. Sarah Lebeer at the University of Antwerp. Since participation was limited to Belgium, the idea emerged to create a similar initiative in Switzerland—leading to Marie and a collaboration that now connects with over 20 like-minded projects around the world, forming the Isala Sisterhood.
The Marie project was inspired by the desire to participate in the Isala project, a vaginal microbiome study conducted at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. With participation limited to Belgium, the idea emerged to start a similar initiative in Switzerland. This enthusiasm led to collaboration with Prof. Sarah Lebeer, who leads the Isala project and has successfully engaged nearly 6,000 women in her research.
Like Isala, Marie seeks to enhance our understanding of vaginal microbiomes while breaking taboos that surround and prevent discussions about vaginal health. Our goal is to break through cultural barriers to advance scientific knowledge, encourage open dialogue, and improve women’s health outcomes.
Isala and Marie, are named in honor of pioneering women who defied 19th-century gender norms to become the first female physicians in their countries:: Isala Van Diest in Belgium and Marie Heim-Vögtlin in Switzerland. Marie Heim-Vögtlin co-founded Switzerland’s first gynecological hospital, and interestingly, Isala Van Diest had to study in Switzerland because Belgian universities were not open to women at that time. Their legacies reflect our mission—challenging norms to improve women’s health through science and open dialogue.
Would you help us achieve our mission?
Every contribution counts to make the Marie project a reality in the near future!
Be part of the study
Marie can achieve its goals only if you are willing to participate in the two phases of the study. Pre-register now, and we will notify you once the official registration starts!
Become an ambassador!
Ambassadors are our most fond fans who believe in our vision and are willing to help us spread the word about the project within their network or their organizations.
Get in touch contact@marie-project.ch.
Collaborate with us!
Get in touch with us at contact@marie-project.ch
