Start date: 2025
Award: £47,828
Status: Active
What issue does this study address?
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a lifelong condition where the body’s immune system attacks the gut. Patients suffer with pain, diarrhoea and bleeding, which interferes with relationships, work, education and social activities. Despite advances in medication, fewer than half of people with CD remain well on the best treatments. If medication fails, many patients need surgery such as an external bag (stoma), which they are keen to avoid. There is an urgent need for new treatment methods to control CD.
Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) involves the transfer of processed faeces (poo) taken from healthy people into the gut of patients with a disease related to their gut bacteria (gut microbiome). FMT is very effective at treating a gut infection called Clostridium difficile and research shows it can also improve responses to cancer treatments. FMT can now be given as capsules rather than an enema, making it a less off-putting treatment option.
What are the aims and how could this work help people with Crohn’s disease?
The research team will do a study to see how FMT capsules (c-FMT) alter the gut bacteria of patients with CD to improve their response to CD medication. Ten patients with CD who are starting a new medication will be offered c-FMT for three weeks before starting the medication. The research team will assess how well the treatment works and collect faeces and blood samples to look for changes in their gut bacteria and immune systems.
This is the first study using c-FMT to boost the effect of CD medication. If this new approach is successful it could lead to a major shift in how we treat patients with CD.
The research team
This project will be led by Dr James Alexander, a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London.