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Vaginal Microbiota Transplantation: The Next Frontier

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Kevin DeLong ,
Fareeha Zulfiqar ,
Diane E. Hoffmann ,
Anita J. Tarzian  and
Laura M. Ensign
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Abstract

The success of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a treatment for Clostrioides difficile infection (CDI) has stirred excitement about the potential for microbiota transplantation as a therapy for a wide range of diseases and conditions. In this article, we discuss vaginal microbiota transplantation (VMT) as “the next frontier” in microbiota transplantation and identify the medical, regulatory, and ethical challenges related to this nascent field. We further discuss what we anticipate will be the first context for testing VMT in clinical trials, prevention of the recurrence of a condition referred to as bacterial vaginosis (BV). We also compare clinical aspects of VMT with FMT and comment on how VMT may be similar to or different from FMT in ways that may affect research design and regulatory decisions.

Type
Symposium 1 Articles
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 47 , Issue 4: Symposium 1 - The Promise and Challenges of Microbiome-based Therapies. Symposium 2 - Regulation on International Direct-to-Participant Genomic Research , Winter 2019 , pp. 555 - 567
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2019

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