Lab-scale Production of Healthy Fecal Microbiota Suspension Services

Creative Biolabs, as a leading contract research organization (CRO), offers comprehensive live biotherapeutics development solutions for a range of industries. Our services focus on gut flora research.

Overview of Gut Microbiota

The human gut is made up of thousands of different microbes. Various studies have identified the importance of these microorganisms in maintaining and promoting human health and well-being. Thus, restoring gut microbial composition could treat disease states and improve symptoms. The human gut microbiome has many beneficial functions, such as immune system development, resistance to pathogens, vitamin synthesis, production of metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), nutrition and drug metabolism, and maintenance of the structural integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier.

Creative Biolabs' Fecal Microbiota Suspension Preparation Services

The human gut is mainly composed of anaerobic bacteria, which are sensitive to oxygen exposure. Anaerobic bacteria outnumber aerobic bacteria by a factor of 1,000:1. Improper handling of the stool may lose the variability of many anaerobic bacteria, thus affecting the effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). It is important to note that all instruments and solutions used in the preparation of fecal suspensions should be strictly disinfected. All fecal material preparation processes will be carried out at a room temperature of 20-30˚C, preferably in an anaerobic chamber. Germ-free (GF) animals provide valuable research tools for examining the association between the host and its GM. Creative Biolabs can provide microbiome extraction services for customers' fecal samples to study the role and impact of healthy gut microbiota on disease.

• Human Stool Sample
• Animal Stool Sample

The Therapeutic Benefit of FMT

Transfer of the normal intestinal microbial community from a healthy donor into patients with a variety of diseases via feces is an emerging treatment approach, particularly for patients with recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). The gut microbiota is often considered an “invisible organ” that significantly affects human health and disease. FMT can restore healthy intestinal microecology and improve clinical symptoms. It is a method of directly altering the recipient's gut microbiome to normalize the composition and obtain therapeutic benefits. In addition to its direct therapeutic effect on gastrointestinal disorders, FMT has been shown to improve neurological and psychological symptoms by regulating the gut-brain axis. It is one of the most commonly used methods to study the causal relationship between the gut microbiome and disease in animal models. FMT has shown that the transplanted microbiome can influence physiological functions and alleviate a wide range of diseases that include CDI, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), obesity, diabetes, aging, cancer, autism, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, anorexia nervosa, food allergies, and neurological disorders in animal models.

Fig.1 Potential therapeutic targets for FMT. (Waller, 2022)

Donor Stool Microbiome Preparation for FMT

Potential donors can provide fresh stool within a month of screening. Although the ideal stool weight for FMT has not been standardized, approximately 50 to 60 grams of stool per treatment is recommended. The stool can be stored for up to eight hours at 4˚C as after eight hours at 4˚C or room temperature, bacterial survival declines. Stir by hand or use a blender to dissolve the feces in about 150 ml of normal saline solution. The mixture is then filtered through sterile gauze pads or steel filters to remove large particles. The currently recommended protocol advocates 10% glycerol for the conservation of frozen fecal samples.

Creative Biolabs is an expert at live biotherapeutics pre-clinical research solutions, offering flexible development services and experience. If you are interested in our fecal microbiota extraction and suspension preparation service, please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.

Reference

1. Waller, K.M.J.; et al. An update on fecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2022, 37(2): 246-255.

For Research Use Only. Not intended for use in food manufacturing or medical procedures (diagnostics or therapeutics). Do Not Use in Humans.