GoodNature™, a program of Seres Therapeutics, collects stool (literally, poop) from healthy individuals who are referred to as donors.
Seres is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based leading microbiome therapeutics platform company working to transform the lives of patients worldwide with revolutionary microbiome therapeutics. Seres uses the material GoodNature™ collects to develop SER-109, an investigational microbiome therapeutic for patients with recurrent C. difficile infection.
The company recently opened a new GoodNature™ facility at 267 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA.
For more information please visit our website: http://www.goodnatureprogram.com/
GoodNature™ pays donors in Cambridge up to $50 for every donation. Donors typically donate three to four times weekly for several months. Donors can also receive a bonus of $500, on average, for donating at least three times a week during a donation period lasting four to six weeks or longer. Donors also complete occasional medical screenings including a physical exam or blood draws. Donors may continue participating as long as they remain eligible. Some donors have continued for nearly a year, earning as much as $10,000 over their tenure.
People interested in becoming stool donors must first complete the eligibility questionnaire at goodnatureprogram.com. People who pass the initial screening will take a phone screening. Those who pass will be invited to the site to provide stool donations. Only on-site donations are acceptable. People with questions can call (844) IPOOP4U for information.
Many donors, who are healthy, commit to donating because they know doing so may help people who are sick. Others are interested in the evolution of microbiome science and want to play a small role in advancing the field. Some personally know people who have had C. difficile infection or other debilitating gut conditions and are eager to do their part and potentially help others who have these conditions. Many appreciate being able to earn extra money by doing something they would be doing anyway!
About C. diff
C. difficile infection, or C. diff, is one of the most common healthcare-acquired infections in the United States. This infectious disease can cause diarrhea and severe colitis, which is inflammation of the colon. C. diff is difficult to treat because it is exacerbated by the antibiotics that, while killing bacteria making a person sick, also tend to kill the “good” bacteria that live in the gut, which allow C. diff bacteria to flourish. This makes recurrence more likely. Yearly there are nearly half a million cases of C. diff across the nation, and approximately 1 in 6 people who are infected will get it again in the subsequent 2-8 weeks.
C. diff can infect anyone, including young people. But people who are 65 or older, have recently stayed at a hospital or nursing home, have a weakened immune system, or have had a previous C. diff infection or a known exposure to the bacterium are most at risk. C. diff infections can be life threatening and are responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 people in the U.S. each year. These infections represent not only a dire unmet need for patients, but also an urgent problem for the healthcare system due to the significant associated financial impact. Estimates put the associated healthcare burden at about $5.4 billion.