At the MTC we produce FMTs using donor stool from healthy individuals. Our donors are screened in accordance with national guidelines.
Donors are recruited following a stringent screening process that involves an extensive medical history and lifestyle assessment and microbiological screening for pathogens in blood and faeces. This screening process ensures that we are producing FMTs of the highest standard.
Our donors are reimbursed for their time, we appreciate the commitment shown by our donors, their participation and involvement throughout the recruitment process and donation period. £100 in vouchers of their choice are issued upon a successful two working week (Monday-Friday) donation period.
If you are interested in finding out more about our Donor Recruitment and Screening program, we would love to hear from you. To register your interest or for further information please email us on microbiometreatmentcentre@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What do you do with donated faeces?
A. Donated faeces samples are mixed with saline and glycerol. They are then blended together and filtered. The product (FMT) resembles a brown liquid of thick consistency. The FMT is then stored frozen until it is needed. When a transplant is required to treat CDI or for a clinical trial, the frozen FMT is packed and sent to the respective hospital or research facility. The transplant is then put into the patient’s upper gastrointestinal tract (stomach or small bowel) via a tube down their nose or into their colon via colonoscopy or an enema.
Q. Will I get paid for donation?
A. Yes, you will receive £100 in a shopping voucher of your choice at the end of a successful 10 day donation period.
Q. What additional tests will I have to undergo?
A. Your blood will be tested for blood borne viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, it will also be tested for Syphilis. A sample of faeces will also be tested for gut pathogens. A comprehensive list of tests that we do is available from the national guidelines published in July 2018.
Q. How will you protect my anonymity?
A. All your screening tests samples and donations will be labelled with your donor code and never your name. You will have to answer a health questionnaire and to speak to a member of the FMT medical team about your general health, but this will be kept completely confidential – just like it would be with your own GP.
Q. What exactly do you mean by “regular morning bowel habits” and why does it matter?
A. We need the donations to be collected and processed on the same day. This means you will need to produce a donation and get it to the lab before 10:00am each day. Donation is normally done every day for ten consecutive working days (Monday-Friday).
Q. What would exclude me from donating?
A. Before we invite you for a thorough screening process we do a basic initial screen that would exclude potential donors who are:
- Are over 50 years of age or under 18
- Are under or overweight (You must have a BMI ≤18.5 and ≥25). You can check your BMI here
- Are a smoker
- Have normal stools outside the 2-5 types on the Bristol stool scale.
There are also a range of other diseases, conditions and high risk activities which could exclude you from donation and these would be assessed at your initial donor heath check with the FMT medical team before any tests are done or donations are made.
Q. Practically, how would I collect the donation?
A. You will be provided with a wide necked plastic honey jar for each donation. It is designed to take a whole stool and most donors find it convenient to pass stool directly into this pot. Stool could be passed into an alternative clean container and transferred into the honey jar.
Q. Does it matter what I eat when I’m donating?
A. You would be expected to eat your normal diet during the donation period. Eating plenty of fibre and fruit and vegetables, as well as drinking plenty of water during the donation week may make regular donation easier.
Q. What if something unexpected comes up in my screening tests?
A. If anything unexpected comes up on your screening tests you will be informed about it confidentially by a member of FMT medical team and will have the opportunity to discuss the result with them.
Q.How long will my samples and information about my samples be stored?
A. Information regarding your samples will be stored for the 30 years.
Q. What are the benefits of donating?
A. Faecal microbiota transplantation as a novel way of restoring healthy gut bacteria intestinal flora and is highly effective in treating a gastrointestinal infection caused by a bacterium called Clostridium difficile. Untreated infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It has been shown to cure 9 out 10 patient with this infection when they fail to respond to conventional antibiotic therapy.
We are also exploring the role of FMT in treating ulcerative colitis as part of a large clinical trial (STOP-Colitis). Ulcerative colitis is a chronic gastrointestinal disease, the incidence of which is rapidly increasing in recent years. Patients with this condition suffer from bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. It is reported that the occurrence and development of ulcerative colitis is closely related to imbalance of gut bacteria. However the efficacy of ulcerative colitis by faecal microbiota transplantation needs to be further explored. By donating your stool samples we will be able to help us understand if modifying gut bacteria can help treat ulcerative colitis.
Q. What if I want to stop donating?
A. You can stop donating at any time with no questions asked. It is entirely voluntary.
