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Welcome to AIMS!

A closer look at the invisible world on and within your body: discover more with the Amsterdam Infant Microbiome Study (AIMS).

As your baby develops into a toddler, their intestinal bacteria develop as well

Discover more with AIMS.

Today’s mums and babies are helping the mums and babies of the future

Discover more with AIMS.

Will you help us too?

With AIMS we can research the development of intestinal bacteria from the very beginning.

Would you like to take part?

Here you can sign up

Collecting biological samples

Forgotten what to do? Find out here.

What will you be collecting?

Consent forms

Shortly after your child has been born, you will receive a consent form from us.

More information

Any questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d be happy to help you.

I have a question

Amsterdam Infant Microbiome Study

In 2019 GGD Amsterdam launched a new study involving 500 families in Amsterdam: AIMS. AIMS stands for ‘Amsterdam Infant Microbiome Study’. The aim of this study is to examine how microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses develop on and within the bodies of young children. The microbiome is the collective name for all these microorganisms. We also aim to study the influence of the microbiome on the onset of diseases of affluence (also known as “Western diseases”) such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and oral health problems.

Discover more with AIMS
Working with Amsterdam families, we want to obtain a clearer picture of the health of Amsterdam children right from the start of their lives. This will enable us to provide them with even better care: Amsterdam’s children of today will be helping its children of tomorrow. Once we have obtained concrete research results, we will publish them for you on this website.

AIMS is a pioneering study
AIMS is the world’s first-ever study to chart microbiome development among such a large group of young children, over a three-year period. We are aiming to get 500 AIMS children and their families involved in this study. The whole family can participate in AIMS. The involvement of various family members will also enable us to study the influence of family members on the development of the youngest child’s microbiome.

What our participating mothers say about AIMS

Will you be joining us?

"“You’d think it would be a lot of work and very time-consuming to collect the biological samples. But once you get started, that’s really not the case. The samples involved in this study are easy to collect from a young child. It’s all very simple.”"

"“The instructions for collecting biological samples are very clear and easy to understand. And it was easy to put them into practice too. It didn’t take much time at all.” "

"“It was very helpful to watch the videos first before collecting the samples. That meant I was well prepared for what I had to do. It was also easy to find more details in the instructions.”"

The microbiome is the collective name for all the microorganisms that reside on or within the human body, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. The microbiome plays an important role in whether we remain healthy or become ill.