Banking on stool despite an uncertain future

Tina Amirtha from Science discusses the regulatory future of fecal transplants, and how universal stool banks like OpenBiome could continue to make an impact. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“Whatever the commercial future of FMTs, the stool banks say they’ll have other work to do. OpenBiome may focus more on research, Edelstein says. Besides stool, OpenBiome provides guidance on experimental designs, safety protocols, and IND applications. The Leiden bank seeks to advance science as well. It just started a research collaboration with Vedanta Biosciences, and it plans to study whether fecal transplants should be given to C. difficile patients at an earlier stage. “Now, patients receive [an] FMT when they have tried all the other options,” Kuijper says. “But more can easily benefit.” 

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