NZ faecal transfer study could change obesity treatment

Eight years ago, 87 obese adolescents took part in a ground-breaking study to see whether faecal transfer would make a difference to their health and weight.

Good gut bacteria were taken from healthy donors and transferred in capsule form to people with a less healthy microbiome - a research method known as FMT (that's faecal microbiota transplantation).

Four years later, a follow-up study, the results of which have just been published, suggests some significant health benefits from that single transfer.

The first analysis took place after six months, co-leader of the study, Professor Wayne Cutfield, a paediatric endocrinologist told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

“After this one treatment of 28 capsules over two days, what we found was there wasn't any difference in weight, which was somewhat disappointing, but there was a marked improvement in metabolic health, much less metabolic syndrome. And metabolic syndrome is higher blood glucoses, higher blood pressure, bad lipids and too much tummy fat.”

All of these markers are associated with a higher risk of dying of stroke, heart attack, and a much greater risk of diabetes, he says.

They also found the donor bacteria endured in the recipients’ guts.

“After six months, they were still there, and they were thriving.”

Fast forward four years and further health gains were found in recipients, he says.

“We found again, the gut bacteria from that treatment four years earlier, that one treatment, those gut bacteria were still there, and they were still thriving. And interestingly, we also found that their metabolic syndrome was much, much less.

“We also found 11.2kg difference between the placebo group and the treated group. We found that their waist circumference was 8cm less. Now that's a lot of notches on your belt.”

The treatment group also had less body fat, he says.

The research team are now in “go-fast” mode to make the process a commercially viable treatment, he says, as the lab technique of FMT is not scalable.

“We've done some very complex modelling to identify which bacteria from the donors have actually led to these positive health changes. We're now in the process of isolating and growing them up to create this bespoke super probiotic, which we are very, very soon going to trial.

“And if indeed it does demonstrate the kind of benefits we've seen with the whole gut microbiome transfer, then this will become a scalable probiotic treatment, likely available over the counter.”

They have isolated specific beneficial bacteria and patented them, he says, and from those they will culture bespoke probiotic combinations.

“That's right now crosshairs, and in fact, once we get past provisional to full patenting, and that's less than a year away, then yes, we will launch our biotech company and look at future opportunities and develop.

“Because as I mentioned, we have other trials following anorexia nervosa, autism, we have another trial in a very severe form of diarrhoea. There'll be others that follow that are likely to result in creating bespoke super probiotics.”