OpenBiome

OpenBiome is a public stool bank that provides frozen preparations of screened and filtered human stool for use in Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) therapies.

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] It also operates as a research organization, supporting investigations into the use of FMT to treat C. difficile and other indications, such as irritable bowel syndrome, in partnership with the Alm Lab at MIT.

OpenBiome was founded in 2012 by Mark Smith, a microbiology PhD student at MIT, and James Burgess, an MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management.[2] It is the first public stool bank, and was founded to facilitate clinical adoption of FMT.[3] The logistical burdens associated with screening and processing fecal material have historically made it difficult for clinicians to offer FMT to patients with recurrent C. difficile infections [4] despite its relative efficacy (94% cure rate compared to 31% with the antibiotic Vancomycin).[5] 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. ↑ Glenn, David (3 Feb 2014). "Student-led Project Banks on Promise of Fecal Transplants". The Chronicle for Higher Education. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Smith, Peter Andrey (17 Feb 2014). "A New Kind of Transplant Bank". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Carolyn (24 Feb 2014). "Fecal transplant safety is goal of stool bank". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  5. ↑ 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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