Autologous MTT
as a new form of health insurance
Many studies have linked changes in the gut microbiota, commonly referred to as dysbiosis or a shift in the bacterial balance, to the development of various diseases. Dysbiosis can develop in anyone at any time, even in people who are otherwise healthy. Some diseases have been shown to be associated with a shift in microbiota composition. Unsurprisingly, microbiota transplantation therapy (MTT) has had considerable success in treating these diseases.
The AutoBiome treatment is a further extension of the MTT paradigm: we use autologous MTT, i.e. we provide a faecal bacterial transplant using a younger/earlier self microbiota. The basic idea works as follows: you provide a stool sample when you are young and/or healthy, and we convert it into capsule form for you to easily store and conveniently use. If you later develop a condition that can be treated with MTT, or are receiving a treatment that has side effects that include dysbiosis, you can use your own guaranteed compatible, prepared gut bacteria instead of transplanting microbiota from a donor. This way, you can resume your life from a ""back-up position"" after an unexpected event, restoring your previous healthy microbiota.
We have called this service for the production of capsules for autologous MTT AutoBiome.
Who should use our AutoBiome service?
It is important to note that a "healthy" microbiota is an extremely difficult concept to define. In general, we recommend that individuals in excellent health and not suffering from a chronic disease should use AutoBiome. In contrast to the traditional donor-derived microbiota, where only uncompromised health status allows the transformation and use of faecal bacteria, there can and should be a place for consideration in the case of a microbiota stored for self-directed purposes. In the case of the AutoBiome service, it is necessary to decide whether the subsequent return of the microbiota to be loaded into capsules could have a real benefit that could justify the cost of the service.
When is storage of microbiota recommended or contraindicated
It is not an exaggeration to say that it is advisable to store your own microbiota as soon as possible if the date of the procedure or trip is known. This is particularly true for those who do not defecate regularly and any worry may make it impossible to remove the microbiota.
- Drug therapy: before antibiotic treatment that is likely to be lengthy and may involve a change of antibiotic.
- Oncological treatment: before chemotherapy or radiotherapy if the original lesion did not involve the digestive system.
- Surgical procedures: to prevent side effects of antibiotic treatments.
- Weight maintenance: to help people with chronic obesity to maintain a healthy weight at critical times.
- Travelling to “exotic” countries: before travelling to a country with a low level of hygiene or food safety (oftentimes the level is not lower, just unusual or different).
- Occupation/activity involving a high risk to health: where the activity in question is likely to result in an accident, serious injury or disfigurement likely to endanger life (for soldiers, police officers, firefighters).
- Formal timing: for athletes who are at risk of infection due to the environment of the sport or where prolonged physical activity is required.
- Drug therapy: if antibiotic treatment is already in progress or if antibiotic has been used within 6 months.
- Oncology treatment: for malignant lesions affecting the gastrointestinal tract.
- Surgical procedures: for surgeries that do not involve preventive antibiotic treatment, e.g. 1-day procedures.
- Travel: for travel within Europe, provided that drinking water is consumed exclusively from a bottled source.
Summary
The steps of our Autobiome service
The following steps are designed to ensure that your microbiota is fully protected for the future and that you recover faster.
Medical Examination
Before we store your bacteria using our AutoBiome service, it is advisable to make sure that you do not have any chronic, infectious disease or digestive cancer that would be "preserved" in the capsules with your microbiota. To rule out any of the above, we recommend a general laboratory and imaging examination, which we will be happy to organise and carry out, but you can also ask your GP to carry out the tests on the basis of our recommended list.
Registration
The next step is to record the data needed to contact you and send you the sampling device later. As a result of registration, you will be sent an identifier in the format U0000000, which will be referred to in all future cases.
RegistrationOrdering your AutoBiome
You can use your patient ID to order our AutoBiome service. After payment, we will send you the sampling device within 5 working days. The stool must be inserted once into the sampling device using the instructions provided and delivered to MicroBiome Bank's laboratory within 6 hours. [1]
OrderDelivery
We extract the bacterial mass that makes up the microbiota from the faeces using a method we have developed, freeze-dry it and fill it into capsules using a pharmaceutical process. The aMTT capsules are packed in boxes of 60 and sent to your address by courier. The prepared capsules no longer require major refrigeration for shipping, they can be stored for months in a refrigerator at home or decades in a freezer.
[1] At the moment, we can only receive the stools in our laboratory in Budapest, but we can send you the capsules to any country in the European Union. This practically means, that to provide a sample, you have to travel to Hungary, but do not have to wait for the laboratory procedure.
Precautions
In order to process the most valuable microbiota possible with AutoBiome, particular attention should be paid to:
- Do not take any antibiotics or probiotics for at least 6 months before the sample is taken;
- Only eat animal protein that is free of antibiotics and anthelmintics and avoid artificial sweeteners;
- Eat foods containing live bacteria ("live flora" dairy products, lacto-fermented vegetables);
- It is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of fluid every 24 hours for 7 days before sampling;
- The faeces must reach the laboratory within 6 (six) hours of sampling. Although the deadline seems short, samples are accepted five days a week between 08:00 and 13:00.
AutoBiome
- Whole human microbiota suspension from a healthy individual in lyophilized form
- To restore your own microbiota
- Natural bacterial density
- Minimum 6x60 capsules
- In the form of MTT suspension
- For own request and use
Disclaimer
MicroBiome Bank cannot and will not verify the identity of the person you have provided for the AutoBiome service. By placing an order, the user of the service accepts that the laboratory will individually process the sample submitted under the given name and fill it in a verifiable manner into AutoBiome capsules running under the given name or code number. Any effects resulting from any intentional or negligent substitution of sample and/or starting material to be processed by the customer shall be the sole responsibility of the customer.