Evaluation of Microbiota Transplant Therapy in Patients With Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata (AA) is among the most highly prevalent human autoimmune diseases, leading to disfiguring hair loss due to the collapse of immune privilege of the hair follicle and subsequent autoimmune attack. AA affects about 5.3 million people in the United States alone, including males and females across all ethnic groups, with a lifetime risk of 2.1%. Autoimmunity develops against the hair follicle, resulting in non-scarring hair loss that may begin as patches that can coalesce and progress to cover the entire scalp (alopecia totalis) or eventually the entire body (alopecia universalis). In AA, there is no permanent destruction of the hair follicle, and regrowth remains possible. Treatment options for AA include intralesional steroids, topical anthralin, allergic contact dermatitis with diphencyprone (DPCP), dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), or squaric acid dibutyl ester (SADBE), and recently janus kinase ( JAK) inhibitors. Despite the recent approval of JAKs for the treatment of extensive alopecia areata, some patients are treatment resistant, suffer relapses, or cannot take an oral immunosuppressive medication.

This study will attempt to elucidate the pre-treatment and post treatment skin and gut microbiome composition to determine whether specific bacterial species may correlate with disease or treatment response. To determine the effects of MTT on immune cell composition and activation systemically and locally in the skin, we will analyze major immune cell populations in peripheral blood samples and collect skin biopsies for histopathology and next generation sequencing analyses. Further, to determine if changes in immune cell populations affect the inflammatory response, we will profile inflammatory cytokines. To identify if changes in the gut microbiota influence the metabolic signature in AA, we will also perform untargeted metabolomics in stool gut microbiome samples and in plasma. Altogether, this comprehensive approach aims to identify the pathogenic immunological mechanisms associated with microbiome composition correlated to pre-treatment disease, post-treatment response, and any non-responders to treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Alopecia Areata; Alopecia Totalis; Alopecia Universalis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Vancomycin, Neomycin and MTT capsules; Drug: Placebo capsules

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: John Meisenheimer; Phone Number: 612-625-2624; Email: jmeisenh@umn.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • Recruiting
      • University of Minnesota
      • Contact: John Meisenheimer; Phone Number: 612-626-9183; Email: jmeisenh@umn.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients 18 to 75 years of age with moderate to severe alopecia areata (SALT score >30%).
• Patients with a diagnosis of patch type alopecia areata, totalis, or universalis..
• Duration of hair loss >=3 months..
• No evidence of active, ongoing regrowth present at baseline.
• Females of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test at screening and immediately prior to MTT.
• Females of childbearing potential must agree to use an effective form of contraception from 14 days prior to study antibiotics through at least 30 days after MTT. Acceptable forms of contraception include oral or intramuscular contraceptives, intrauterine devices, surgical sterilization.
• Participants are not enrolled in another clinical study.
• If undergoing treatment with a JAK inhibitor, participant is willing to discontinue treatment for 1 month prior to enrollment and throughout the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active gastrointestinal infection at time of enrollment.
• Having been administered antibiotics in the last 48 hours.
• Patients will be eligible to enroll if antibiotic therapy is discontinued for at minimum 48 hours prior to treatment..
• Requires continued antibiotic use
• Allergy to study antibiotics (vancomycin, neomycin).
• Known or suspected severe gastrointestinal dysmotility disorder, e.g., gastroparesis, pseudo-obstruction, scleroderma with gastrointestinal involvement
• Ileus or small bowel obstruction.
• Major gastrointestinal surgery (e.g., significant bowel resection) within 3 months before enrollment. This does not include appendectomy or cholecystectomy.
• History of total colectomy.
• Concurrent intensive induction chemotherapy, radiation therapy or biological treatment for active malignancy.
• Unable or unwilling to comply with protocol requirements.
• Expected life expectancy < 6 months.
• Previous MTT or microbiome-based products at any time excluding this study.
• History of severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid food allergy.
• Solid organ transplant recipients 90 days post-transplant or on active treatment for rejection.
• A condition that would jeopardize the safety or rights of the subject, would make it unlikely for the subject to complete the study, or would confound the results of the study.
• History of or existing skin diseases affecting the scalp such as psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis and patients with evidence of infection or skin cancer in the treated areas.
• Patients in whom the diagnosis of alopecia areata is questionable.
• Patients in whom regrowth is present/evident at baseline in the areas to be treated.
• Patients with active medical conditions or malignancies (except adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin) which in the opinion of the investigator would increase the risks associated with study participation, including patients with a history of recurrent infections.
• Patients unwilling or unable to discontinue treatments known to affect hair regrowth in alopecia areata.
• Patients who have been treated with intralesional steroids, systemic steroids, anthralin, squaric acid, DPCP (diphenylcycloprophenone), protopic, minoxidil, JAK inhibitors or other medication which in the opinion of the investigator may affect hair regrowth, within one month of the baseline visit..
• Patients determined by the investigator to have extreme diets..
• Pregnant and breastfeeding females..

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Alopecia Areata study group; randomized to receive antibiotics and MTT oral capsule	Drug: Vancomycin, Neomycin and MTT capsules; patients will take 2 capsules per day for 14 days. These patients will then be clinically followed for a period of 24 weeks.
Placebo Comparator: Alopecia Areata control group; randomized to receive placebo antibiotics and placebo MTT oral capsule	Drug: Placebo capsules; patients will take 2 capsules per day for 14 days. These patients will then be clinically followed for a period of 24 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Engraftment	Proportion of patients achieving donor microbiota engraftment measured at 8 weeks post treatment.	Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
safety outcome 1	Proportion of participants with an AE through day 30 (±3 days) after MTT.	day 30
safety outcome 2	Proportion of participants with a SAE through day 30 (±3 days) after MTT.	day 30
safety outcome 3	Proportion of participants with newly acquired transmissible infectious diseases which are considered adverse events of special interest (AESI) through day 30 (±3 days) after MTT.	day 30
Hair regrowth	Percent hair regrowth from baseline determined by SALT measurements following 8, 16, 24, 26, 34, 42, 50 and 54 weeks post treatment.	8, 16, 24, 26, 34, 42, 50 and 54 weeks post treatment
efficacy measure 2	Timing of relapse in responders followed for 6 months post therapy.	6 months post therapy
SALT Score	Proportion of patients in the treatment versus placebo group achieving SALT score of <50% at week 24	Week 24
Week 4 AEs	Proportion of participants with an AE through week 4 (±5 days) after MTT.	Week 4
Week 4 SAEs	Proportion of participants with an SAE through week 4 (±5 days) after MTT.	Week 4
Month 6 SAEs	Proportion of participants with a SAE at month 6 (±14 days) after randomization.	Month 6
Month 12 SAEs	Proportion of participants with a SAE at month 12 (±14 days) after randomization.	Month 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minnesota
• Collaborators: Columbia University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Maria K Hordinsky, MD, University of Minnesota

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 21, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 15, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 15, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 18, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): December 24, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 8, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 4, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Alopecia; Hypotrichosis; Hair Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Alopecia Areata; Alopecia universalis; Peptides; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Substandard Drugs; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Carbohydrates; Glycosides; Aminoglycosides; Glycoconjugates; Glycopeptides; Vancomycin; Neomycin; Counterfeit Drugs; monooxyethylene trimethylolpropane tristearate
• Other Study ID Numbers: DERM-2022-30819

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No