Japanese company is paying people to donate “healthy” poop for research

A Japanese pharmaceutical company is offering money for people’s poop, but only if they produce what they deem as “healthy” feces.

Metagen Therapeutics is now accepting stool donations for medical research. According to SoraNews24, The company is paying 5,000 yen ($34) per poop, with the samples being used to develop medicines for patients with various diseases, including ulcerative colitis, esophageal cancer, and gastric cancer, and more.

Applicants can’t just rock up and drop a deuce, though. Instead, every pooper must be aged between 18 and 65, in good health, and willing to undergo a multi-stage screening process. After passing an initial online assessment, candidates are then invited to a hospital for a thorough medical evaluation. If selected, they’ll be asked to donate stool at the company’s dedicated Donation Room within Tsuruoka Science Park.

Japanese pharmaceutical pays for poop

Photo: Matilda Wormwood

“From your intestines to someone else’s intestines, we will connect and open up health. We are looking for people to join us in taking a step towards the widespread adoption of intestinal bacterial medicine,” reads the official message on the company’s website.

However, according to Metagen, only 8% of people produce stool that’s suitable for research, so most applicants’ poop won’t pass. However, the few candidates who do manage to drop top-quality goods will receive their reward in the form of an Amazon gift card, and they may be asked to return every two to three months.

While it might sound strange, stool donations like this are vital to advancing medicine, especially in the treatment of digestive diseases. Helping advance life-saving medicine while getting paid just for using the bathroom isn’t exactly your average side hustle, but it’s honest work.