Could a poop pill slow ALS? small trial launches
NCT ID NCT07017946
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot trial tests whether transplanting gut bacteria from healthy donors (MTP-101C) is safe and can help slow ALS. Twenty people with fast-progressing ALS will receive the treatment after a bowel cleanse. Researchers will track changes in muscle function, quality of life, and nerve damage markers over 24 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MTP-101C (freeze-dried fecal microbiota from healthy donors)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to slow ALS progression by restoring gut health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase pilot trial with only 20 people. It is designed mainly to test safety, not to prove effectiveness. The treatment involves a bowel prep and antibiotic conditioning, which may cause discomfort or side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of ALS according to Gold Coast Criteria * Age: 18+ years at enrollment * Fast-progressing (ALSFRS-R change of at least 1.5 points per month between last 2 measurements at screening) * Modestly but not severely affected (ALSFRS-R score at or above 24 at screening) * Able to swallow capsules and expected to be able to for the duration of the trial (ALSFRS-R "swallowing" score of 3 or 4 at screening) * Expected to survive for the duration of the trial * Taking any combination of riluzole, edaravone, and/or tofersen at a stable dose for 30 days prior to screening, or not taking any of these and not expected to during the study. * Capable of giving written consent. * If sexually active, must agree to use contraceptive or abstinence for duration of treatment. * Females of child-bearing age must have negative pregnancy test at screening. Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent illness or laboratory abnormalities that could confound the measurement of ALS progression or the microbiome or interfere with the ability to complete the study. * Taking probiotics, nutraceuticals, or herbal remedies within 2 weeks of screening * Taking antibiotics within 3 months of screening. * Taking any investigational study drug within 30 days of screening or five half-lives of the prior agent. * Previous exposure to MTT. * Pregnancy. * Known specific food allergy with anaphylaxis * Other co-morbid conditions that, in the opinion of the study investigator, place the participant at increased risk of complications, interfere with study participation or compliance, or confound study objectives.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Show contact details
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Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Duke University Medical Center
RECRUITINGDurham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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