Stool Bank OpenBiome Is Expanding to Somerville

Illustration by Kyle Mercer for Gut Check

OpenBiome really wants your poop. So much so, in fact, that the stool bank is opening a second donation location this June.

Its original facility, located in Medford, is the only stool bank in Massachusetts, and the largest in the world. The new branch will set up shop in Somerville, near Sullivan Square, to allow Boston-area donors to provide their, uh, products.

So why does OpenBiome want your stool? The facility uses fecal donations to transfer donors’ healthy bacteria to patients in need of a gut reset, via either enema or “poop pills.” (You tell us which sounds more appealing.) Most often, the samples treat patients with the bacterial infection C. Difficile, but OpenBiome is also involved in a slew of studies examining the impact its technique could have on obesity, liver disease, Crohn’s Disease, and more.

Interested donors can visit either location, but supplying OpenBiome is no walk in the park. For one, the selection process is extremely rigorous; only about 3 percent of applicants are chosen, since donors have to be in virtually perfect health. If you are accepted, you’ll have to visit the facility four to five times per week for at least two months.

On the bright side, though, eligible donors receive $40 per sample—so your poop could be worth upwards of $1,000. Who knew?

Interested donors can begin by filling out this form.