TEDMED (VIDEO)

With the rise of antibiotic resistance, the search is on for therapies that can combat bacterial infections without engaging in an evolutionary arms race.

OpenBiome is a nonprofit stool bank that aims to expand safe access to fecal transplantation for patients with recurrent C. difficile and to catalyze research on the microbiome’s role in human health. OpenBiome provides clinicians with rigorously screened, ready-to-use stool preparations and supports researchers with a suite of tools to discover how gut bacteria might treat diseases beyond C. difficile.

Since 2013, OpenBiome has partnered with over 700 healthcare institutions across all 50 states and 6 countries to deliver over 14,000 treatments for recurrent C. difficile. Its portfolio includes 50% of all U.S. trials exploring the use of fecal transplants in new diseases. Watch the TED Talk here.