ASU’s Microbiota Transplant Therapy (MTT) reduced autism severity in 83% of severe-rated children to 17% severe after two years, now entering Phase 3 trials.
Key Takeaways
2019 ASU study: 18 autistic children received bowel cleanse plus 7-8 weeks of fecal microbiota transplants; autism symptoms dropped 24% at 8 weeks, 45% at 2-year follow-up.
Before treatment 83% rated severe ASD; two years later 17% severe, 39% mild/moderate, 44% below mild ASD cutoff.
Phase 2 placebo-controlled adult trial showed statistically significant improvements in GI symptoms and receptive language; marginal gains in tantrums, stimming, and cognition.
In 2022, researchers patented a bacterial formulation and spun off Gut-Brain Axis Therapeutics; Phase 3 funding is now being sought for FDA approval.
30-50% of autistic people have serious GI issues; children with worse gut symptoms also tend to show worse behavioral symptoms.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters flagged a core confound: autistic children often have severely restricted diets (e.g., only Wheat Thins for years), which itself degrades microbiome diversity, making causality hard to isolate.
Skeptics questioned whether the severity reclassifications reflect genuine improvement or natural maturation and diagnostic drift over two years, not a treatment effect.
The university spinout structure drew scrutiny; ASU channels commercialization through Skysong Innovations, which reportedly received significant funding from over 100 autism families, raising conflict-of-interest questions.
Notable Comments
@senfiaj: Autism is genetically heterogeneous; MTT may help a subset but should not be generalized as a cure.
@manoDev: Raises whether C-section births or incubator stays, which disrupt initial maternal microbiome transfer, correlate with autism risk.
