Donate leukocytes for medical research in Vienna
Receive at least €150 and do something good.
You give a small part of your white blood cells for medical research. No application, no experience, no obligation. You decide again before every appointment.
Questions first? Message us on WhatsApp: +43 676 722 8314
- Carried out by an established Viennese cell research company
- A procedure performed over 1,000 times a day worldwide
- Medical screening beforehand — you receive your results
- €50 per hour of active donation time
- 3–4 hrs is how long an appointment takes
- 4× possible per year
- 1210 Vienna Kürschnergasse 6b
What is compensated is the active time on the cell separator, paid as an expense allowance. Preparation, screening and travel are not compensated. Plan half a day for the donation day.
Plain language
What you are actually giving
Leukocytes are white blood cells — a normal component of your blood. A leukocyte donation collects a small part of them. Here is how it works: blood is drawn through a vein, a cell separator removes the white blood cells, and everything else — red blood cells and plasma — flows straight back into your body. You lie comfortably throughout and are looked after by trained staff the whole time.
Your cells go exclusively into scientific research. Once the respective research project is complete, they are destroyed. We say this clearly because it is the most common misunderstanding: this is not a blood donation and not a stem cell donation. It is material for laboratories.
How it works
From your enquiry to the expense allowance
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Enquiry
You fill in the form, which takes two minutes. We get back to you, answer your questions and arrange an appointment for the screening.
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Screening
A detailed information session plus a blood sample: blood count and infection markers. This tells us whether donating is safe for you.
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Donation
3 to 4 hours. You lie down, a needle sits in your arm just like for a blood test, the machine separates the white blood cells and the rest flows back.
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Compensation
€50 per hour of active donation time. For 3 to 4 hours that comes to €150 to €200.
There are often only a few days between your enquiry and the donation, usually no more than two weeks. That is why we need people who are flexible with their time — the only real requirement that has nothing to do with medicine.
Expense allowance
The maths, with no small print
- €50 per hour of active donation time
- €150–200 per appointment, depending on length
- €600–800 per year across four appointments
Only the time you actually spend on the cell separator is compensated. Not compensated: the screening, travel, preparation and aftercare. That is the honest part others bury in the small print.
Four appointments a year is the maximum. There is a minimum interval between two donations, set by our doctors — that cannot be bent, not even on request.
The second reason
Nothing happens in immunology research without human cells. Antibodies, immunotherapies, test procedures — all of it needs real material from real people. We are not promising you that this saves lives. But you make research possible that would otherwise not happen.
Safety
A routine procedure, not an experiment
Leukapheresis has been established for decades and is performed over 1,000 times a day worldwide. It is generally very well tolerated. No short-term or long-term health effects are known.
What we will not tell you: that nothing at all can happen. Side effects are possible; they are usually mild and temporary. Which ones they are and what they mean for you specifically is something you discuss in detail with our medical staff before donating — in person, not on a leaflet. And you can say no at any time, even in the middle of an appointment.
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Everything except the leukocytes comes back
Red blood cells and plasma flow straight back into your circulation during the procedure.
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Continuous monitoring
Trained staff are in the room the entire time, not on call.
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Medical clearance first
No donation takes place without a blood count, infection markers and a conversation with a doctor.
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Stop at any time
You can end your participation at any point without giving a reason.
Transparency
YouCare is the donor programme for leukocytes
YouCare is run by a Viennese biotech company that has been collecting and processing cell products for research and cell therapy for years.
Requirements
Is this for you?
What you should bring
- Men and women are equally welcome
- Of legal age and generally healthy
- Minimum weight 50 kg
- Living in Vienna or able to reach 1210 Vienna without much effort
- Flexible with time — half a day, often at only a few days' notice
- Willing to attend the screening including a blood sample
What speaks against it
- Use of substances that are injected
- Certain infectious diseases — the screening clarifies this
- Being acutely ill at the time of the appointment
- Appointments are on weekdays during the day — if that never works for you, unfortunately it is not possible
Whether you are eligible in the end is decided by the screening, not by this website. The quick check only tells you whether an enquiry is worth your time. Your answers stay in your browser and are not transmitted.
Quick check
Eight questions, about a minute. Your answers stay in your browser.
Enquiry
Send an enquiry
For now we only need to know how to reach you, plus a few brief details about you. We clarify everything else in person.
Frequently asked
What people ask us most often
At the start you feel the needle going in — just like a normal blood test. After that you lie down and barely notice the procedure itself. Some people report a tingling in the fingers or around the mouth; that comes from the anticoagulant the machine adds, it is harmless and the staff can adjust it immediately. Just say something if you notice anything — that is what they are there for.
Leukapheresis is a procedure that has been established for decades, is performed over 1,000 times a day worldwide and is generally very well tolerated. No short-term or long-term health effects are known. Even so, we are not claiming that nothing at all can happen: side effects are possible, usually mild and temporary. You discuss which ones in detail with our medical staff before donating.
Most people feel normal straight afterwards, some a little tired. Red blood cells and plasma are returned to you during the procedure, so you are not missing any significant blood volume. Even so: keep the rest of the day calm, drink enough and save intense exercise for the following day. After the donation you are looked after briefly before you leave.
Yes. The collection is carried out by CytoCare GmbH, a biotech company based in Vienna. The responsible supervisory authority is the Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) and AGES. Donating is voluntary, you receive medical information beforehand, you sign a consent form and you can withdraw it at any time. The €50 per hour is an expense allowance for your time — not a purchase price for blood.
They go exclusively into scientific research. They are not used on humans and not processed into therapies. Once the respective research project is complete, they are destroyed. You will learn what exactly they are used for during the information session.
€50 per hour of active donation time. An appointment typically takes 3 to 4 hours, which comes to €150 to €200 — around €150 on average. Only the time on the cell separator is compensated. The screening, travel and aftercare are not compensated. With up to four donations a year that adds up to €600 to €800 annually.
We discuss the arrangements at the information session before your first donation, so you know exactly where you stand beforehand. If you want to know in advance, just ask us — we are happy to tell you.
No, the amount is paid out in full.
Up to four times a year. There is a minimum interval between two donations, set by our medical staff. More often is not possible, not even on request — the limit exists for a reason.
Usually quickly. The screening and the donation often take place within a few days, generally within two weeks. That is exactly why we are looking for people who are flexible with their time: when an appointment frees up, it sometimes has to happen at short notice.
You receive your result in any case — including when it means you cannot donate. If a finding is medically relevant, we discuss it with you and recommend you take it to your doctor. We do not keep anything from you.
At any time. Before the appointment, at the appointment, during the donation. Without giving a reason and without any disadvantage to you. An enquiry through this form is not a commitment and not a contract.
Still have questions? Then ask.
An enquiry is not a commitment and costs you nothing but two minutes. We get in touch, you ask your questions, and then you decide. If you say no after the conversation, that is entirely fine — it happens regularly.