The EFFECT Study: Probiotic and HMO Supplementation in Infants

NCT ID: NCT03994315

Last Updated: 2020-07-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 10 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-09-12
• Study Completion Date: 2020-03-13

Brief Summary

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) is a human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) present in human colostrum and milk. HMOs are largely undigestable and have no direct nutritive benefit to the infant, but act as a prebiotic substrate for beneficial bacteria (bifidobacteria, in particular) in the infant gut. Exclusively formula-fed infants lack HMOs in their diet in the absence of naturally occurring HMOs from breast milk. The proposed clinical study will evaluate the ability of a prebiotic supplement (LNT) to initiate intestinal colonization of a probiotic strain (B. infantis EVC001) in exclusively formula-fed infants. B. infantis EVC001 has been shown to be well-tolerated and safely consumed in breastfed infants. This study also aims to evaluate the safety and tolerability of LNT in different doses when consumed daily with B. infantis EVC001.

Detailed Description

This study is a single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label study of an infant probiotic (B. infantis EVC001) and a prebiotic supplement (LNT) in exclusively formula-fed infants. Nine subjects will be enrolled into three treatment arms:

• Group 1: 8 x 10^9 CFU B. infantis + LNT (3 g/L then 8 g/L)
• Group 2: 8 x 10^9 CFU B. infantis + LNT (6 g/L then 12 g/L)
• Group 3: 8 x 10^9 CFU B. infantis alone Study staff will be unblinded to the treatment assignments. Infants in all groups will receive a once-daily oral feeding of B. infantis EVC001 (8.0 x 10^9 CFU) mixed with infant formula for 28 consecutive days. Two of the treatment groups (Group 1 & Group 2) will also receive two dose-escalated concentrations of the prebiotic supplement (LNT) mixed with their daily infant formula: Group 1 will receive a concentration of 3 g/L for 2 weeks followed by 8 g/L for the next 2 weeks. Group 2 will receive a concentration of 6 g/L for 2 weeks followed by 12 g/L for the next 2 weeks. Infants consuming the LNT will cross over to the higher dose without a washout period in between. All infants will be evaluated for an additional 2 weeks after cessation of the supplement(s). The total duration of the study will be approximately 7 weeks.

Conditions

Infant Gut Microbiome

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

B. infantis EVC001 + LNT (3 g/L then 8 g/L)

Infants will receive a once-daily oral feeding of B. infantis EVC001 (8.0 x 10\^9 CFU) mixed with infant formula for 28 consecutive days. Group 1 \[B. infantis + LNT (3 g/L then 8 g/L)\] will also receive two dose-escalated concentrations of the prebiotic supplement (LNT) mixed with their infant formula for every formula preparation during the 28-day supplementation period. They will receive a concentration of 3 g/L for 2 weeks followed by 8 g/L for the next 2 weeks, without a washout period in between.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

B. infantis EVC001

Intervention Type: OTHER

Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis strain EVC001, designated a "Foods for Special Dietary Use" (FSDU)

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT)

Intervention Type: OTHER

LNT is a human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) found in human breast milk and is a selective prebiotic for B. infantis.

B. infantis EVC001 + LNT (6 g/L then 12 g/L)

Infants will receive a once-daily oral feeding of B. infantis EVC001 (8.0 x 10\^9 CFU) mixed with infant formula for 28 consecutive days. Group 2 \[B. infantis + LNT (6 g/L then 12 g/L)\] will also receive two dose-escalated concentrations of the prebiotic supplement (LNT) mixed with their infant formula for every formula preparation during the 28-day supplementation period. They will receive a concentration of 6 g/L for 2 weeks followed by 12 g/L for the next 2 weeks, without a washout period in between.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

B. infantis EVC001

Intervention Type: OTHER

Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis strain EVC001, designated a "Foods for Special Dietary Use" (FSDU)

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT)

Intervention Type: OTHER

LNT is a human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) found in human breast milk and is a selective prebiotic for B. infantis.

B. infantis EVC001 alone

Infants will receive a once-daily oral feeding of B. infantis EVC001 (8.0 x 10\^9 CFU) mixed with infant formula for 28 consecutive days.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

B. infantis EVC001

Intervention Type: OTHER

Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis strain EVC001, designated a "Foods for Special Dietary Use" (FSDU)

Interventions

B. infantis EVC001

Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis strain EVC001, designated a "Foods for Special Dietary Use" (FSDU)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT)

LNT is a human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) found in human breast milk and is a selective prebiotic for B. infantis.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Evivo

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Infant is between 0 and 60 days of life at the time of enrollment

2. Infant is exclusively formula-fed with caregiver intent to continue exclusive formula feeding for the duration of the study (at least 7 weeks)

3. Infant is consuming cow's milk-based formula without probiotics

4. Term infant, born >37 weeks gestation

5. Infant is healthy and without medical complications

6. Infant's caregivers are willing to refrain from feeding their infant breast milk, solid foods, and non-study probiotics prior to study completion

Exclusion Criteria

1. Infant was born with medical complications such as respiratory distress syndrome or birth defects

2. Infant has any gastrointestinal tract abnormalities

3. Infant has been diagnosed with failure to thrive

4. Infant has taken oral or IV antibiotics or antifungals within 4 weeks of enrollment or during the Lead-in Period

5. Infant is consuming partially hydrolyzed or extensively hydrolyzed infant formula because of gastrointestinal disturbance or gassiness/fussiness

6. Infant has consumed any breast milk within 7 days of enrollment or during the Lead-in Period

7. Infant has consumed any probiotics containing B. infantis since birth

8. Infant has consumed any Bifidobacterium-containing probiotics within 2 weeks of enrollment or during the Lead-in Period

9. Infant's caregivers plan to feed them any breast milk, solid foods, or non-study probiotics at any time throughout the duration of the study

10. Infant was born in a multiple birth

11. Infant lives in more than one location

12. Any infant who the investigator feels is not an appropriate study participant

• Maximum Eligible Age: 60 Days
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Evolve BioSystems, Inc.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Rimon Youssef, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Coastal Pediatric Research

Locations

Coastal Pediatric Research

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

EV-8901

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id