Ep 17 - The Journey of FMT: From Pioneering Enemas to Advanced Therapeutics

In this episode of Inside Matters, Dr James McIlroy explores the remarkable evolution of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), from its unlikely beginnings to its promising future—and shares exciting new data from his company, EnteroBiotix.

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We begin with the pioneering efforts of Mr Ben Eisman in 1958, whose early use of FMT saved lives in cases of severe diarrhoea. From there, Dr McIlroy takes us through decades of progress, culminating in today's pharmaceutical-grade approaches that are changing the face of gut health treatment.

The conversation spotlights the dramatic effectiveness of FMT in tackling recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections and dives into the expanding potential of microbiome therapies for a range of conditions.

James also shares exclusive insights from EnteroBiotix’s recent phase 2 trial, which delivered encouraging results for a next-generation, FMT-based therapy targeting Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Designed to be scalable, consistent, and patient-friendly, this new approach marks a significant step forward in microbiome medicine.

This episode is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating areas of modern healthcare—and a look at where we're headed next.

Timestamps:

00:00 – The pioneering work of Mr Ben Eisman
01:55 – Understanding C. difficile and FMT
03:03 – Modern breakthroughs in FMT
05:06 – Challenges and innovations
07:25 – EnteroBiotix’s next-generation solution
11:12 – Clinical trials and promising data
14:04 – What the future holds for FMT
17:05 – Final thoughts