Fecal Microbiota Transplant as Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy

NCT ID: NCT03420482

Last Updated: 2025-12-31

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 30 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-04-01
• Study Completion Date: 2027-01-31

Brief Summary

A common complication of advanced liver disease is a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which leads to confusion. The current treatment options cause side effects, are costly, and do not always work. An abnormal population of bacteria in the intestines may be causing this condition, and transplanting bacteria from the colon of a healthy person may treat it. In this research study, the investigators will first find two healthy stool donors whose stool donation improves the gut bacteria of patients with advanced liver disease and helps them think more clearly. Then, in a randomized controlled trial, the investigators will compare the ability of stool donation from these two best donors versus a placebo to improve the neurological function of patients with advanced liver disease. If the investigators find the expected results, there will be a new effective therapy for patients with advanced liver disease and the very troublesome complication of hepatic encephalopathy.

Detailed Description

Decades of investigation demonstrate that hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a common complication of cirrhosis characterized by impaired cognition, develops as a consequence of intestinal microbial products reaching the brain. Recent investigation has found that cirrhotic patients, especially those who have developed HE, have intestinal dysbiosis compared to normal controls. Several plausible mechanisms explain how intestinal dysbiosis could lead to HE. There is limited prior literature on the efficacy of FMT in cirrhosis. The largest documented study of 10 cirrhotic patients receiving a single FMT enema found no significant change in microbiome diversity as assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The investigators hypothesize that aggressive manipulation of the microbial composition with fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) will improve neurological function in patients with a history of cirrhosis and HE. The investigators additionally hypothesize that five oral FMT capsule administrations from a previously efficacious stool donor will significantly change the intestinal microbiome composition of a cirrhotic patient. The study will consist of a 10-patient open-label pilot study to identify efficacious stool donors, defined as donors who precipitate the largest improvement in recipient neurological function and microbiome composition. The two most efficacious pilot study stool donors will be selected to donate stool for the randomized controlled trial (RCT). The 20-patient RCT will investigate the effect of FMT on neurological outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and a history of HE. Subjects will be randomized to receive 5 doses of oral FMT capsules or placebo capsules over 21 days. Cognitive testing and stool collections will occur at 4 time points, to assess for changes in neurological function and microbiome composition. The primary outcome is change in neurological function after FMT. The main secondary outcome is change in microbiome composition after FMT. This study could provide valuable information about the ability of FMT to improve intestinal dysbiosis in cirrhosis and treat HE.

Conditions

Hepatic Encephalopathy

Keywords

Microbiome; Fecal Microbiota Transplant

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules

Subjects will receive 15 oral capsules of FMT on days 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules

Intervention Type: DRUG

Donors will be healthy individuals, selected through a previously published, rigorous screening process. Elizabeth Hohmann M.D. of MGH has demonstrated the safety and therapeutic efficacy of oral frozen FMT capsules in Clostridium difficile infection, and her lab will produce the capsules for this study.

Placebo capsules

Subjects will receive placebo capsules on the same schedule as the experimental arm (days 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21).

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo oral capsule

Intervention Type: DRUG

Oral placebo capsules filled with glycerol and cocoa powder. These capsules are identical in appearance to FMT capsules.

Interventions

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules

Donors will be healthy individuals, selected through a previously published, rigorous screening process. Elizabeth Hohmann M.D. of MGH has demonstrated the safety and therapeutic efficacy of oral frozen FMT capsules in Clostridium difficile infection, and her lab will produce the capsules for this study.

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo oral capsule

Oral placebo capsules filled with glycerol and cocoa powder. These capsules are identical in appearance to FMT capsules.

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of cirrhosis: Based on liver biopsy or clinical assessment of a hepatologist based on history, exam, laboratory and radiographic evidence
• History of at least one episode of overt HE, defined by West Haven Criteria Grades II to IV; episodes of HE that were precipitated by gastrointestinal hemorrhage requiring transfusion of at least 2 units of blood, by medication use, by renal failure requiring dialysis, or by injury to the central nervous system will not be counted as previous HE episodes
• Compliant with lactulose and rifaximin treatment (lactulose: at least one dose at least 5 days per week; rifaximin: at least one dose at least 5 days per week)

Exclusion Criteria

• Current episode of overt HE as defined by West Haven Criteria Grades II to IV
• Expectation of liver transplantation within two months of the screening visit
• Current infection
• Variceal bleeding in the last 4 weeks
• Gut-absorbable or intravenous antibiotic therapy (including ciprofloxacin for SBP prophylaxis) in the last 3 months
• Alcohol or illicit drug intake within 3 months, by history and available serum testing; alcohol use will be characterized as >1 alcoholic drink / month
• PSC as etiology of liver disease, as prior literature has suggested these individuals have a unique microbiome
• History of Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass
• On immunosuppressive medications
• Positive C. difficile test
• Scoring above a threshold cut-off on the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES)
• MELD > 17
• History of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
• History of low ascites protein ( ≤ 1g/dL) in the last year
• Hemodialysis in the last 30 days
• Other significant laboratory abnormalities: serum creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL, hemoglobin < 8 g/dL, serum sodium < 125 mmol/L, serum calcium > 11.0 mg/dL, serum potassium < 2.5 mmol/L
• Placement of a portosystemic shunt or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
• Unstable doses of opiates, benzodiazepines or other sedating medication
• Unable to provide consent; a. If MMSE is < 18 or the patient is deemed to not have capacity by an investigator, a legally authorized representative (surrogate) will be allowed to provide consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Raymond Chung

Principal Investigator, Associate Proffessor of Gastroenterology

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Raymond T Chung, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Massachusetts General Hospital

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

References

Bajaj JS, Kassam Z, Fagan A, Gavis EA, Liu E, Cox IJ, Kheradman R, Heuman D, Wang J, Gurry T, Williams R, Sikaroodi M, Fuchs M, Alm E, John B, Thacker LR, Riva A, Smith M, Taylor-Robinson SD, Gillevet PM. Fecal microbiota transplant from a rational stool donor improves hepatic encephalopathy: A randomized clinical trial. Hepatology. 2017 Dec;66(6):1727-1738. doi: 10.1002/hep.29306. Epub 2017 Oct 30.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 28586116 (View on PubMed)

Youngster I, Mahabamunuge J, Systrom HK, Sauk J, Khalili H, Levin J, Kaplan JL, Hohmann EL. Oral, frozen fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) capsules for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. BMC Med. 2016 Sep 9;14(1):134. doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0680-9.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 27609178 (View on PubMed)

Kao D, Roach B, Silva M, Beck P, Rioux K, Kaplan GG, Chang HJ, Coward S, Goodman KJ, Xu H, Madsen K, Mason A, Wong GK, Jovel J, Patterson J, Louie T. Effect of Oral Capsule- vs Colonoscopy-Delivered Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017 Nov 28;318(20):1985-1993. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.17077.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 29183074 (View on PubMed)

Bloom PP, Donlan J, Torres Soto M, Daidone M, Hohmann E, Chung RT. Fecal microbiota transplant improves cognition in hepatic encephalopathy and its effect varies by donor and recipient. Hepatol Commun. 2022 Aug;6(8):2079-2089. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1950. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35384391 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2017P002296

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id