PRObiotic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis patients with Trichuris suis Ova (PROCTO)

Previous studies with administration of Trichuris suis eggs (TSO), the whipworm of pigs, have in a smaller number of volunteers, shown that this treatment can reduce inflammation in patients with intestinal bowel diseases (IBD) with few and mild side effects. It is known that TSO can re-program and normalize specific parts of the host immune defence that causes inflammation. The project also seeks to demonstrate a hypothesis that TSO will stimulate the natural gut microorganisms, in a way that they outcompete the bacteria known to be associated with the intestinal inflammation.

Patients are followed clinically for 24 weeks, during which period we will follow the immunological profile of the patients and perform detailed DNA mapping of the gut microbiome by next generation sequencing.

The TSO treatment is simply administered orally, and if the project is successful this probiotic treatment will represent a useful natural biological alternative to conventional treatment of IBD.

The project is approved by the Danish Medicinal Agency, The Danish Data Agency and Videnskabsetisk Komité (EUDRACT no. 2017-004772-65)

External participants:

• Hvidovre Hospital
• Herlev Hospital
• Bispebjerg Hospital
• Aleris-Hamlet Hospitals
• Køge Hospital
• Holbæk Hospital
• Nordsjællands Hospital
• Statens Serum Institutet
• Dept of Food Science (KU)

Funded by:

ParaTech A/S (And private investors)

Project: PRObiotic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis patients with Trichuris suis Ova (PROCTO)
Period:  2017-2022