Borody-His Innovative Discoveries on Digestive Disease - #FMT & #RHB104

This is another great article.  I knew that Dr. Borody, a doctor and professor out of Australia, developed FMT's (Fecal Matter Transplants) and was 1st to use the transplants to treat c-diff.  Interesting enough he is also considering FMT's for other digestive problems and even neurological conditions.  It will be interesting to see what illnesses are helped with this procedure.  

Here in the US doesn't even have a billing code for FMT's AND the FDA have only permitted transplants for difficult cases of c-diff, patients who do not respond to the antibiotic, that only around 30% of the patients respond to.  FMT's have a 90% recovery rate.  The question again is why not go with the treatment that has a higher success rate rather than lower.  Very sad that the US is so slow to adopt new and smarter treatments that will get people well.   I won't even go there today. It is an issue that probably raises my blood pressure if I think about it too long.  Not even joking.  

Anyway, after reading this article, I found out that Dr Borody also was the innovator for RHB-104 that is currently in the trial stages at this time. If you have Crohn's and don't know what RHB-104, read up on the treatment.  I have some blog posts that will give a good amount of information about the therapy.  It will make you smile and give you a boost of hope for something that may actually be able to eradicate Crohn's all together.  That is exciting!  
Professor Thomas Borody gets it!  He seems to understand the nature of digestive diseases very well.  He is certainly the man who is making some progress with developing real solutions to treat the actual condition and not just remedy the symptoms of a disease.  His name is one to remember and follow as he implements treatments that seem to be successful so far.  
Part of this article gives a little in depth look at his life and how he chose to dedicate his direction to gastrointestinal diseases.   

Note: I have underlined parts of the article that I felt were things to take note of.

He has the stomach for it | JPost | Israel News:

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Prof. Thomas Borody Photo: Courtesy
It’s amazing when in medicine, ideas that had seemed ridiculous – such as a chronic infection instead of an annoying boss causing ulcers – eventually become accepted truisms. Even though stools are considered dirty and something to get rid of, gastroenterologists have discovered that they can transplant feces from healthy donors into patients and very often relieve their chronic bacterial infections, irritable bowel disease (IBD), colitis, constipation and even some neurological conditions.

Prof. Thomas Borody, the founder and current medical director of the Center for Digestive Diseases (CDD) in Sydney, Australia, is a major innovator in these surprising treatments.

The CDD is considered a unique medical institution offering novel approaches in researching, diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal conditions. CDD offers a range of services in the day-procedure unit and houses a research and innovation department for conducting clinical trials in collaboration with universities, pharmaceutical companies and medical societies – all focusing on gastroenterology.

REDHILL BIOPHARM - News -> RHB-104 - Possible Breakthrough Treatment for Crohn's Disease

I get so excited when I read about this possible treatment, RHB-104, for Crohn's!  I've been watching this drug for over a year now.  This is a  treatment that if approved by the FDA, I will be jumping on it as soon as it becomes available.  No doubt!  This is the kind of treatment we need.  Everything else just treats symptoms.
So, why is this so exciting?  If you read current research about what causes Crohn's disease, you will see that researchers are leaning away from considering Crohn's disease an autoimmune condition.  They have found that there is an underlying cause for the immune response to activate.  Crohn's is said to be caused by a combo of 3 factors - Immune system abnormalities, environmental influences and bacteria.  I just wiki'd Crohn's disease and this is what is said about what is believed to be the cause - "Crohn's disease is caused by interactions between environmental, immunological and bacterial factors in genetically susceptible individuals.[4][5][6] This results in a chronic inflammatory disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract possibly directed at microbial antigens.[5][7] While Crohn's is an immune related disease, it does not appear to be an autoimmune disease (in that the immune system is not being triggered by the body itself)."
What this means is that people that have Crohn's disease do not have the immune system capabilities to destroy a form of bacteria that have been introduced into the body at some point in time.  As research has indicated, a large number of people with Crohn's disease happen to have the MAP bacteria in their body somewhere.  The exact location of the bacteria is not known at this time.  Who cares where it is, as long as a treatment is available that will destroy it is my opinion.
See why this makes me super hopeful?  If Crohn's is caused by this MAP bacteria & if this new combination antibiotic eradicates the MAP bacteria from people with Crohn's disease, this could be the answer to the Crohn's disease epidemic!  Can someone say CURE :)
Wouldn't that be glorious?  

Clinical trial for a new antibiotic therapy for Crohn’s treatment started:

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease which may affect gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and has a wide variety of symptoms. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is believed to be associated with Cronh’s disease. Professor Dr. Saleh Naser, UFC College of Medicine, believes that MAP is the cause of the disease. He said, "Crohn's disease affects more than 750,000 Americans, yet traditional treatments only address the symptoms of inflammation and not the cause." He further added, "I have seen case studies where patients' lives have been restored following treatment, which removes MAP. I have high hopes that this clinical trial may lead to finding a cure." Dr. Saleh Naser will soon conduct clinical trials on a new antibiotic therapy acquired by RedHill Biopharma for curing the disease. 240 participants will be recruited for this double blind clinical trial.

http://health-beauty-2468.blogspot.com/2013/09/clinical-trial-for-new-antibiotic.html

Could RHB-104 Be The Cure For Crohn's Disease?? Very Hopeful Article

Wouldn't that be great!?? Actually curing the Crohn's!

Be encouraged and read this article, especially if you've been struggling with symptoms and just feeling blah because it's taking a toll on you. After reading this, you'll feel hopeful and optimistic about what's to come in the future and the advances that are in the making RIGHT NOW!

Even although the RHB-104 must undergo 2 years of clinical trials (US, Canada & Europe) before the drug can even be looked at by the FDA (our wonderful friends... that's sarcasm people), 2 years is nothing and will be here before we know it. Let's hope & pray that this medicine is found to be effective during the trial stage. If this RHB-104 is found to be successful, This would shed a whole new light on the disease and impact a huge population of people that suffer & struggle with Crohn's Disease everyday.

LOL is anyone else as giddy as me right now after reading that article?

Professor patents test for possible Crohn’s disease cure

The UCF Research Foundation has licensed a promising diagnostic test for the detection of the mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, also known as MAP, bacterium in humans to an international biopharmaceutical company that is developing a treatment for Crohn's disease.
The diagnostic technology is able to diagnose MAP infection in humans using DNA testing based on nested PCR molecular technology. MAP is present in roughly 50 percent of people who suffer from Crohn's disease and could be a leading cause of the disease.
Dr. Saleh Naser, a professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine, patented the diagnostic technology in 2009 with hopes of using it to help cure Crohn's disease patients who are positive for the MAP bacterium.
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract affecting about 700,000 people in the United States alone, with no cure.
"Our goal with this technology is to help speed the process of diagnosing, treating patients with the correct antibiotics and helping the patient begin remission as soon as possible," Naser said. "We want to see a change in these patients' lives."
Now that RedHill Biopharma Ltd., an emerging international biopharmaceutical company, has licensed Naser's diagnostic technology, Naser is closer to achieving his goal of diagnosing and treating Crohn's disease patients.
RedHill Biopharma Ltd. is currently developing an oral drug called RHB-104, which is intended to treat and possibly cure Crohn's patients with MAP bacterium, but without a way to detect MAP, the use of the drug has been limited. Partnered with the UCF Research Foundation, RedHill Biopharma Ltd. is able to use Naser's diagnostic test to detect MAP DNA in the patient's blood and finally allow physicians to prescribe RHB-104 to Crohn's disease patients.
"Our findings in our lab since 2000 is instrumental evidence showing that MAP is a significant part of this disease, and therefore the technology to detect such pathogens is extremely useful for diagnosis and ultimately treating this disease; and with that, our partnership with RedHill is sure to be valuable," Naser said.
Under the license agreement, in consideration for an exclusive license for all indications and medical applications, RedHill Biopharma Ltd. will pay UCF an upfront payment, as well as future net sales royalties of 7 percent to 20 percent.
Despite monetary advantages, Naser is most looking forward to putting his technology to use. RedHill Biopharma Ltd. is currently in discussion with Naser regarding the use of his technology to screen Crohn's patients for MAP infection to determine whether RHB-104 would serve as an effective treatment option in two parallel placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials, one in the U.S. and Canada, and one in Europe.
The trials will last two years and from there, if successful, Redhill Biopharma Ltd. will bring the data to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of RHB-104, and then Naser's technology and RHB-104 could possibly be readily accessible in local labs within five years.
If available to the public, patients will first get a blood sample taken at their doctor's office, which is then sent to a local lab where the blood's white blood cells are isolated and screened for DNA of the MAP pathogen. The information from the lab will be sent back to a doctor, who can then prescribe the patient with the either RHB-104 or an antibiotic to fit the patient's needs.
This is most hard-hitting for Naser, because he knows if these trials are successful, he could impact patients' lives.
"It is hard to establish the immense amount of phone calls and emails I receive from patients and their families who are desperate to be tested for this bacteria, because what is out there is not good enough and is not helping them beat this disease," Naser said. "For the first time, we might be talking about curing Crohn's disease and not just managing the disease; the patients know the difference."
For junior language arts and English education major Molly Taylor, that difference could change her life.
Taylor has suffered from Crohn's disease for seven years, first being diagnosed in her freshman year of high school. The diagnosis forced her to quit cheerleading as she became very sick with treatment. She dropped down to weighing 85 pounds, and soon she could not even go to school; instead, she had to take online classes for a year.
After going through invasive diagnostic procedures, trying five different treatment methods and now giving herself shots every week, Taylor is thrilled about this new discovery.
"The diagnosis process has been really hard and very invasive, but this sounds like a less invasive test. Blood samples are like nothing for Crohn's patients," Taylor said. "And to have found a cure for this would be the most amazing news for me. It is hard to face a disease daily that you know is never going to go away, especially when you first find out at 15."
For research assistant Sammer Elwasila, who has been working alongside Naser since 2006, this new technology means a new beginning for Crohn's patients like Taylor, and he is excited for the chance to make a difference in people's everyday life before it is too late.
"With this technology, we hope to accomplish a clinical test that a physician can order on the spot, and that can identify and diagnose Crohn's disease patients as quickly as possible, before the damage is done," Elwasila said.