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OpenBiome

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OpenBiome is a nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts which operates a public stool bank and encourages research in the microbiome.

OpenBiome distributes material to hospitals and clinics to support the treatment of C. difficile, the most common pathogen causing hospital-acquired infection in the U.S.[1] OpenBiome operates provides frozen preparations of screened and filtered human stool for use in fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) therapies. OpenBiome can provide clinicians with three different formulations: a high-concentration "FMP 30" formulation for upper delivery, a lower-concentration "FMP 250" for lower delivery, and, as of October 2015, a capsule formulation. As of October 2015, OpenBiome had provided over 6,000 treatments to 49 states and 7 nations.

OpenBiome's research arm investigations into the use of FMT to treat C. difficile and other indications, such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. Separately, OpenBiome also provides stool samples to research partners for investigations into the microbiome and future therapeutics.

Recently, OpenBiome announced the launch of PersonalBiome, a stool banking program through which individuals could store their stool for future use in fecal transplantation after microbial dysbiosis.[2]

OpenBiome was founded in 2012 by Mark Smith, a microbiology student at MIT, and James Burgess, an MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management.[3] It is the first public stool bank, and was founded to facilitate use of FMT.[4] The logistical burdens associated with screening and processing fecal material have made it difficult for clinicians to offer FMT to patients with recurrent C. difficile infections.[5] For those with recurrent disease it worked better than vancomycin in a small trial.[6]

Openbiome operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Medford, MA.

References

  1. ^ Magill, SS; Edwards, JR; Bamberg, W; Beldavs, ZG; Dumyati, G; Kainer, MA; Lynfield, R; Maloney, M; McAllister-Hollod, L; Nadle, J; Ray, SM; Thompson, DL; Wilson, LE; Fridkin, SK (27 Mar 2014). "Multistate point-prevalence survey of health care-associated infections". N Engl J Med. 370 (13): 1198–1208. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1306801. PMID 24670166.
  2. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/should-we-bank-our-own-stool.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=1
  3. ^ Glenn, David (3 Feb 2014). "Student-led Project Banks on Promise of Fecal Transplants". The Chronicle for Higher Education. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  4. ^ Smith, Peter Andrey (17 Feb 2014). "A New Kind of Transplant Bank". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  5. ^ Johnson, Carolyn (24 Feb 2014). "Fecal transplant safety is goal of stool bank". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  6. ^ van Nood, E; Vrieze, A; Nieuwdorp, M; Fuentes, S; Zoetendal, EG; de Vos, CE; Kuijper, EJ; Bartelsman, JF; Tijssen, JG; Speelman, P; Dijkgraaf, MG; Keller, JJ (31 Jan 2013). "Duodenal Infusion of Donor Feces for Recurrent Clostridium difficile". N Engl J Med. 368 (5): 407–15. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1205037. PMID 23323867.
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