Transferable Microbiota for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Principal Investigator: 

Randy LongmanAssociate Professor of Medicine

Background & Unmet Need

  • Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising new treatment for patients with disrupted microbiota, such as those with ulcerative colitis (UC)
  • However, large-scale clinical trials have demonstrated that FMT is only effective in a subset of patients, limiting the utility of treatment
  • FMT relies on healthy donor samples that have poorly defined microbiota compositions, and thus the microbial mechanisms for engraftment and clinical response are poorly understood
  • Unmet Need: Identification of specific microbial strains associated with therapeutic benefit in FMT for the treatment of UC and related disorders

Technology Overview

  • The Technology: Method for treating UC by administration of immune-reactive microbiota (TIM)
  • The inventors analyzed fecal samples from UC patients before and 4 weeks post-FMT
  • Single cell sorting was used to culture individual IgA-coated bacteria that were then identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing
  • Analysis of the sequencing data revealed a core TIM that correlated with clinical response
  • PoC Data: Colonization of germ-free mice with the core TIM strains Odoribacter splanchnicus and Alistipes finegoldi reduced the severity of T cell colitis through an IL-10-dependent mechanism
  • The identified microbial compositions may lead to improved treatment of UC and other disorders associated with imbalanced gut microbiota

Technology Applications

  • Efficient and efficacious method of microbial transfer to treat UC and related disorders
  • Screening tool for therapeutically active microbial communities

Technology Advantages

  • Defined microbial composition improves control and reproducibility compared to FMT therapy
  • IgA-reactive strains protect against colitis via a defined IL-10-dependent mechanism

Figure of germ-free mice were colonized with patient-derived O. splanchnicus or A. finegoldii isolates.

Intellectual Property

Patents

  • US Application US20230087012A1: "Transferable microbiota for the treatment of ulcerative colitis"

Cornell Reference

  • 9296

Contact Information

Brian Kelly, Ph.D.

For additional information please contact

Brian Kelly
Director, Business Development and Licensing
Phone: (646) 962-7041
Email: bjk44@cornell.edu