Transferable Microbiota for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

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