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Boston Children's Hospital trial shows FMT may boost peanut allergy tolerance
A Phase I clinical trial conducted at Boston Children's Hospital has demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may increase peanut tolerance in adults with severe allergies. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, involved 15 participants who received oral capsules containing frozen bacteria from healthy donors.
In the first phase, 10 participants received a single dose of 36 capsules. Four months later, three participants demonstrated an increased threshold for peanut reactivity. In a second phase, five participants received antibiotic pretreatment before the FMT to facilitate bacterial colonization; three of these five individuals were able to ingest more than four peanuts before experiencing symptoms.
Researchers observed that responders exhibited higher bile-acid levels, suggesting that gut bacteria may help regulate the immune system to promote food tolerance. While results are promising, investigators emphasized that this was a small-scale study designed to assess safety and that larger clinical trials are required to confirm long-term efficacy and safety before the therapy can be recommended for widespread use.
Entities
Alexander Khoruts · Bacteroides genus · Boston Children's Hospital · Boston Children’s Hospital · Fecal Microbiota Transplant · Fecal microbiota transplantation · Peanut Allergy · Rima Rachid · Science Translational Medicine · University of Minnesota · peanut allergy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] In a second phase, 5 participants were pretreated with antibiotics before receiving capsules; 3 of them could ingest more than four peanuts before symptoms appeared. www.gazetaweb.com · exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Researchers say larger trials are needed before the therapy can be recommended for food‑allergy treatment. exame.com · www.sabado.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] In the first phase, 10 participants received a single dose of 36 capsules; after four months, 3 of them tolerated larger amounts of peanuts before reacting. www.gazetaweb.com · exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] A study involving 15 young adults with severe peanut allergy was conducted. www.gazetaweb.com · exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Responding participants showed higher bile‑acid levels, which may help the immune system tolerate peanuts. exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Participants received oral capsules containing frozen bacteria from healthy donors as a fecal microbiota transplant. www.gazetaweb.com · exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The study was published in Science Translational Medicine on August 5, 2026. www.gazetaweb.com · exame.com · www.genengnews.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The study was the first to demonstrate that microbiome-based therapy may improve food allergy in humans. www.genengnews.com