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Hepatic EncephalopathyPhase 2NCT03420482

Fecal Microbiota Transplant as Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy

A Phase 2 study testing Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules in people with Hepatic Encephalopathy, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

A common complication of advanced liver disease is a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which leads to confusion. The current treatment options cause side effects, are costly, and do not always work. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Hepatic Encephalopathy
What is being tested?
Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
30 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Apr 2018to 31 Jan 2027
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosis of cirrhosis: Based on liver biopsy or clinical assessment of a hepatologist based on history, exam, laboratory and radiographic evidence
  • History of at least one episode of overt HE, defined by West Haven Criteria Grades II to IV; episodes of HE that were precipitated by gastrointestinal hemorrhage requiring transfusion of at least 2 units of blood, by medication use, by renal failure requiring dialysis, or by injury to the central nervous system will not be counted as previous HE episodes
  • Compliant with lactulose and rifaximin treatment (lactulose: at least one dose at least 5 days per week; rifaximin: at least one dose at least 5 days per week)

Who cannot join

  • Current episode of overt HE as defined by West Haven Criteria Grades II to IV
  • Expectation of liver transplantation within two months of the screening visit
  • Current infection
  • Variceal bleeding in the last 4 weeks
  • Gut-absorbable or intravenous antibiotic therapy (including ciprofloxacin for SBP prophylaxis) in the last 3 months
  • Alcohol or illicit drug intake within 3 months, by history and available serum testing; alcohol use will be characterized as >1 alcoholic drink / month
Show all 19Show fewer
  • PSC as etiology of liver disease, as prior literature has suggested these individuals have a unique microbiome
  • History of Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass
  • On immunosuppressive medications
  • Positive C. difficile test
  • Scoring above a threshold cut-off on the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES)
  • MELD > 17
  • History of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
  • History of low ascites protein ( ≤ 1g/dL) in the last year
  • Hemodialysis in the last 30 days
  • Other significant laboratory abnormalities: serum creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL, hemoglobin < 8 g/dL, serum sodium < 125 mmol/L, serum calcium > 11.0 mg/dL, serum potassium < 2.5 mmol/L
  • Placement of a portosystemic shunt or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
  • Unstable doses of opiates, benzodiazepines or other sedating medication
  • Unable to provide consent; a. If MMSE is < 18 or the patient is deemed to not have capacity by an investigator, a legally authorized representative (surrogate) will be allowed to provide consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

Other trials in United States

About this study

A common complication of advanced liver disease is a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which leads to confusion. The current treatment options cause side effects, are costly, and do not always work. An abnormal population of bacteria in the intestines may be causing this condition, and transplanting bacteria from the colon of a healthy person may treat it. In this research study, the investigators will first find two healthy stool donors whose stool donation improves the gut bacteria of patients with advanced liver disease and helps them think more clearly. Then, in a randomized controlled trial, the investigators will compare the ability of stool donation from these two best donors versus a placebo to improve the neurological function of patients with advanced liver disease. If the investigators find the expected results, there will be a new effective therapy for patients with advanced liver disease and the very troublesome complication of hepatic encephalopathy.

Read the detailed description

Decades of investigation demonstrate that hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a common complication of cirrhosis characterized by impaired cognition, develops as a consequence of intestinal microbial products reaching the brain. Recent investigation has found that cirrhotic patients, especially those who have developed HE, have intestinal dysbiosis compared to normal controls. Several plausible mechanisms explain how intestinal dysbiosis could lead to HE. There is limited prior literature on the efficacy of FMT in cirrhosis. The largest documented study of 10 cirrhotic patients receiving a single FMT enema found no significant change in microbiome diversity as assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The investigators hypothesize that aggressive manipulation of the microbial composition with fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) will improve neurological function in patients with a history of cirrhosis and HE. The investigators additionally hypothesize that five oral FMT capsule administrations from a previously efficacious stool donor will significantly change the intestinal microbiome composition of a cirrhotic patient. The study will consist of a 10-patient open-label pilot study to identify efficacious stool donors, defined as donors who precipitate the largest improvement in recipient neurological function and microbiome composition. The two most efficacious pilot study stool donors will be selected to donate stool for the randomized controlled trial (RCT). The 20-patient RCT will investigate the effect of FMT on neurological outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and a history of HE. Subjects will be randomized to receive 5 doses of oral FMT capsules or placebo capsules over 21 days. Cognitive testing and stool collections will occur at 4 time points, to assess for changes in neurological function and microbiome composition. The primary outcome is change in neurological function after FMT. The main secondary outcome is change in microbiome composition after FMT. This study could provide valuable information about the ability of FMT to improve intestinal dysbiosis in cirrhosis and treat HE.

Being tested
Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules, Placebo oral capsule
Keywords
Microbiome, Fecal Microbiota Transplant
Medical subject headings
Hepatic Encephalopathy

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsulesDrug

    Donors will be healthy individuals, selected through a previously published, rigorous screening process. Elizabeth Hohmann M.D. of MGH has demonstrated the safety and therapeutic efficacy of oral frozen FMT capsules in Clostridium difficile infection, and her lab will produce the capsules for this study.

  • Placebo oral capsuleDrug

    Oral placebo capsules filled with glycerol and cocoa powder. These capsules are identical in appearance to FMT capsules.

Study groups in NCT03420482
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsulesExperimentalSubjects will receive 15 oral capsules of FMT on days 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21.
Receives: Drug: Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules
Placebo capsulesPlacebo comparatorSubjects will receive placebo capsules on the same schedule as the experimental arm (days 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21).
Receives: Drug: Placebo oral capsule

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES)

    The PHES is a validated assessment tool specifically designed for HE trials to test cognitive and psychomotor processing speed and visuomotor coordination. The PHES is a battery of 5 pencil-paper tests, completed in 15-20 minutes. The primary outcome is the change in PHES score from immediately before FMT to 1 week after the last dose of FMT.

    Measured: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0) and one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28)

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Adverse events

    Adverse events will be graded based on CTCAE V.4.03.

    Measured: Adverse event reporting will take place on day 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, then 1, 4 weeks after the last FMT administration.

  2. Stroop Test

    The Stroop Test evaluates psychomotor speed and cognitive flexibility by the interference between recognition reaction time to a colored field and a written color name. A smartphone application software called "EncephalApp Stroop Test" will be used, validated to identify cognitive dysfunction in cirrhosis and screen for covert hepatic encephalopathy.

    Measured: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0) and one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28)

  3. 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

    The SF-36 is a highly utilized quality of life questionnaire. There are 8 health concepts assessed by the survey, which includes physical functioning, bodily pain, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to personal or emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, energy/fatigue, and general health perceptions. Each of these health concepts is scored on a scale from 0 to 100. 0 is considered the worst outcome and 100 is considered the most favorable health state on each subscale. There will be no total or summed score.

    Measured: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0) and one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28)

  4. Ammonia level

    Ammonia is a serology with a known association with hepatic encephalopathy.

    Measured: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0) and one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28)

  5. Microbiome engraftment

    Sequence-based microbiome surveys will be carried out using metagenomic sequencing. Computational analyses will investigate donor microbiota colonization by comparing single-nucleotide variants in strain level data between the donor and recipient.

    Measured: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0), after 3 FMT administrations (day 14), one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28) and 4 weeks after the last administration of FMT.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Feb 2018
  2. Study start1 Apr 2018
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Jan 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
This is a two part study. The first part is a 10-patient pilot study, used to find 2 stool donors who precipitate the largest improvement in recipient neurological function and microbiome composition. The second part is a 20-patient RCT, where patients will be randomized to FMT or placebo.
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
30 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03420482
Sponsor's protocol ID
2017P002296
Status last verified
Dec 2025
First submitted
29 Jan 2018
Last updated
31 Dec 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Bajaj JS, Kassam Z, Fagan A, Gavis EA, Liu E, Cox IJ, Kheradman R, Heuman D, Wang J, Gurry T, Williams R, Sikaroodi M, Fuchs M, Alm E, John B, Thacker LR, Riva A, Smith M, Taylor-Robinson SD, Gillevet PM. Fecal microbiota transplant from a rational stool donor improves hepatic encephalopathy: A randomized clinical trial. Hepatology. 2017 Dec;66(6):1727-1738. doi: 10.1002/hep.29306. Epub 2017 Oct 30.

    PubMed 28586116
  • Youngster I, Mahabamunuge J, Systrom HK, Sauk J, Khalili H, Levin J, Kaplan JL, Hohmann EL. Oral, frozen fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) capsules for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. BMC Med. 2016 Sep 9;14(1):134. doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0680-9.

    PubMed 27609178
  • Kao D, Roach B, Silva M, Beck P, Rioux K, Kaplan GG, Chang HJ, Coward S, Goodman KJ, Xu H, Madsen K, Mason A, Wong GK, Jovel J, Patterson J, Louie T. Effect of Oral Capsule- vs Colonoscopy-Delivered Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017 Nov 28;318(20):1985-1993. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.17077.

    PubMed 29183074
  • Bloom PP, Donlan J, Torres Soto M, Daidone M, Hohmann E, Chung RT. Fecal microbiota transplant improves cognition in hepatic encephalopathy and its effect varies by donor and recipient. Hepatol Commun. 2022 Aug;6(8):2079-2089. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1950. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

    PubMed 35384391

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) oral capsules in people with Hepatic Encephalopathy, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 19 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES) (time frame: Before the first administration of FMT (day 0) and one week after the last administration of FMT (day 28)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03420482, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Dec 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

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