Dive Brief:
- MaaT Pharma has created the first GMP-compliant European fecal microbiota transfer platform.
- The patented and proprietary platform allows the company to produce clinical batches for transfer to patients.
- The company's first candidate treatment is targeted at patients treated with high-dose antibiotic therapy or chemotherapy for leukemia and bone and joint infections.
Dive Insight:
Fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) have been around since the 4th century in China, where they were known as 'yellow soup'. While it can be hard to get around the 'yuck factor' when thinking about FMTs, transplants from donors have shown effectiveness in treating Clostridium difficile infections, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
The microbiome -- or gut flora -- and how it can impact overall health, as well as the progression of disease has become a hot area of interest to pharma companies. While few are studying the microbiome on a mass scale, many are testing patient gut flora to determine how the microbiome impacts health and whether patients with certain diseases have particular bacteria in common. For example, Johnson & Johnson made a deal with microbiome specialist Vedanta for IBD therapy VE202 in early 2015.
French startup MaaT Pharma is developing a standardized autologous microbiotherapy for people undergoing high-dose antibiotic therapy and chemotherapy who have developed a gut microbiota imbalance or dysbiosis. This is a live frozen inoculum suspension, known as MaaT001.