What are the advantages of participating in a clinical trial?
Cats that participate in clinical studies receive more attention from clinical teams, as well as treatments that may not otherwise be available. Cat caregivers can benefit from significantly defrayed costs of diagnostic and follow-up testing.
Clinical Trial: Leveraging fecal microbiota transplantation to restore gut microbiome health in feline chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common disease in cats with limited treatment options. In many diseases, a disrupted gut microbiome is not just a marker of disease, but also directly contributes to the survival and quality of life of the cat by impacting the metabolism of key nutrients and compounds produced by the cat. We have previously demonstrated that cats with CKD have elevations in harmful uremic toxins and decreases in beneficial bile acids produced by gut bacteria. This bacterial dysmetabolism is associated with a shift in the gut microbiome from a more evenly distributed and rich bacterial community to one that is simplified and lacks diversity. Based on our findings, we believe the gut microbiome and bacterial-derived metabolites represent a novel therapeutic target in cats suffering from CKD. Researchers, including our team, have explored the use of common therapies, such as probiotics and fiber, to correct this gut bacterial dysmetabolism in CKD cats without success. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapy that could restore diverse bacteria in the gut and correct bacterial dysmetabolism.
The specific objectives of this study are to determine if FMT induces clinically significant changes in microbiome-derived uremic toxins to evaluate if FMT improves the gut microbiome long-term in cats with CKD. We hypothesize that FMT will be a novel treatment option to restore bacteria that modulate the production of harmful uremic toxins and infer a benefit to cats with CKD.
Your cat may qualify if your cat meets one of the following criteria:
- Diagnosed with CKD
- Has elevated kidney values on labwork (blood creatinine concentration between 1.6-3.4 mg/dL)
- Senior cat over 13 years of age
Participation involves:
- Collection of stool samples from the litterbox by cat caregiver
- Exam visits at the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Corvallis, OR
- Monitoring blood tests over a 3-month period
- Cats receive a single enema (donor feces or placebo) once in the hospital
- Cats receive 1 capsule of lyophilized donor feces (or placebo) by mouth once a day for 30 days at home
- Diagnostic testing performed to stage and monitor their disease including:
- Physical exam by a board-certified internist
- Blood pressure measurement
- Blood and urine tests
- Ultrasound of the kidneys
Please email Dr. Stacie Summers (principal investigator) to find out more information about this clinical trial.