The Emerging Field of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: A Broader Range of Beneficial Microbiome Treatment for Various Diseases

With the opening of the era of ‘microbiome’, which treats intractable diseases using beneficial intestinal microorganisms, ‘fecal transplantation’ is attracting attention as the latest treatment.

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) refers to a treatment method in which stool from a healthy person is transplanted into the colon of a patient to create an environment that inhibits the growth of certain intestinal microorganisms. The concept is that a combination of beneficial gut bacteria can be used to manage difficult-to-treat diseases.

Feces transplantation is already being tested for various treatments, starting with inflammatory bowel disease. In 2013, for the first time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fecal transplant for the treatment of intestinal disorders, and in 2016, it obtained new medical technology approval from the National Health and Medical Research Institute (NECA).

Through this, fecal transplantation has been established as a next-generation treatment in the field of inflammatory bowel disease for the past 10 years. In fact, several clinical trials using stool transplantation have been conducted in ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, and recently, a guideline stating that stool transplantation can be treated has been announced.

In overseas regions, such as the United States, where the application of fecal transplantation was quick, ‘fecal banks’ were created and systematic procedures are being followed. After finding an appropriate stool donor, the donated stool is processed and stored in a state that can be transplanted, and a series of processes are systemized from the final sale to the stool transplant.

The scope of treatment for stool transplantation is also expanding. This is because the Microbiome Research Group under the Korean Society for Intestinal Research is also confirming the possibility of using fecal transplant for various diseases, not just digestive diseases.

In addition to digestive diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, antibiotic-resistant enteritis, and antibiotic-induced enteritis, it also means that the scope of treatment is expanding to include metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, mental diseases such as dementia, autism and depression, atopy and hair loss.

An official from a university hospital in Korea said, “Recently, the hottest issue in the field of intractable bowel disease is probably the treatment strategy using feces transplantation.” situation,” he said.

“Academics around the world are paying attention to clinical results that show that the environment of microflora in the intestine and various diseases are affected,” he said. will be,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the microbiome means an ecological environment composed of various microorganisms, and it is investigated that there are more than 5,000 types. This is more than the number of cells that make up our body.