Take a closer look
Your digestive system
Your digestive system, or gut, has millions of tiny living organisms and bacteria within it called your gut flora or gut microbiota.
When it's a problem
If there are too many of the wrong types of micro-organisms in your gut, you can be very sick. This is where we come in.
What we can do
The goal is to transfer good, healthy microbiota from a donor into someone whose current gut microbiota may be making them sick.
What it involves
We collect poo from a healthy donor, process and test it, then give it to clinicians to treat disease or relieve symptoms in patients.
“I've got a lot to look forward to in retirement. At least I'm healthy enough to enjoy it.”
Hear from Kevin, a recipient of Lifeblood FMT through a clinical trial.
Learn more
How is Lifeblood helping?
Lifeblood collects and processes donations of microbiota from our generous, non-remunerated donors in Perth and manufactures it into FMT.
We then provide clinicians with our product to help treat patients suffering from debilitating infections of the gut, and for other conditions through clinical trials.
Is FMT effective?
FMT is particularly effective in treating Clostridioides difficile infection, commonly known as CDI. It's a serious bacterial infection within the gut, and occurs in some patients who’ve had treatment with antibiotics. It's pervasive, debilitating, and can sometimes be fatal.
Research shows that FMT treatment for CDI has around a 90% cure rate.
What's the future of FMT?
We're glad you asked! Lifeblood is currently involved in various approved clinical trials, investigating FMT for the treatment of: CDI, Graft versus Host Disease, Inhibitor Checkpoint Colitis and the restoration of gut microbiota in patients with Persistent Critical Illness.
Your donation guide
Who can be a microbiota donor?
To be a donor, you must live in the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area and be available to donate regularly at our Microbiota Donor Centre in the CBD. Donation cycles typically run for 4-6 weeks at a time, so your time commitment is essential.
Just like our other donors, microbiota donors need to be screened to make sure that their donation is safe for the person receiving it. So, you’ll need to meet health and testing requirements too.
The screening requirements for donors are extremely thorough for patient safety, which means a lot of people don’t make it to donating, even if they’re generally healthy. So, if you do, you're pretty special: one of the handful of unique, life-giving microbiota donors in Australia.
Check that you can donate
Start by taking our quick quiz to check your eligibility, and registering your details.
Once that’s done, you'll get a call from a friendly and discreet staff member with some confirmation questions. They'll book you in for an appointment for the next stage of screening. You’re able to schedule in a time beforehand that aligns with your body's own schedule and ensures your privacy.
At every stage of the process, any personal and confidential information we gather from you is covered by privacy laws and our Lifeblood privacy policies, where you can download the privacy policy and consent form to review beforehand.
How to donate
Donating takes place at a private, single-purpose area at our Microbiota Donor Centre in the Perth CBD.
It's not like a public toilet; this is a well-ventilated, soundproof and hygenic room for your comfort.
After a quick interview to make sure you’re OK to donate, you'll be given a donation kit and plenty of time to relax in a private sitting area to let nature take its course. Once you’re finished, one of our coordinators will collect the donation kit and you'll be on your way, knowing you've done something good for the day.
How do I access the treatment as a patient?
We recommend people interested in FMT as a treatment option speak with their GP or treating clinician. They can contact us on 1300 441 227 for more information.
