Mumbai: A clinical trial approved by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) looking at the effects of tweaking the gut microbes of children with autism wants participants from Mumbai.Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by difficulties in social interaction and communication. It affects 1 in 68 to 1 in 100 children in India, according to parental support groups. Hyderabad-based Resplice Autism Research Foundation began its ICMR-approved trial on faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) around three years ago. The foundation’s chairman, Dr Chandrasekhar Thodupunuri, a cardiologist whose daughter has autism, said, “FMT is a medical procedure in which healthy gut bacteria from a donor’s stool are transferred into a patient’s digestive system to restore a balanced gut microbiome.” Many children with autism suffer from digestive issues such as food intolerance, constipation and bloating. The trial is designed for 100 participants. The foundation offers the therapy on compassionate grounds. Thodupunuri said over 400 FMT trials are currently underway across the globe. Autism, he claimed, occurs due to exposure during pregnancy to environmental toxins, which disrupt early gut microbiota development in the foetus. A parent, S Hameed, said FMT helped her eight-year-old son, Dariyaan Hameed, who was diagnosed with autism at 19 months. “He was hyperactive, non-communicative, still in diapers till age 8. We tried all sorts of treatments, but there were no results,” she said. After starting FMT, he showed significant improvements in the third week. Dr Thodupunuri said the FMT treatment will take a minimum of five years from now to be approved for widespread use. Meanwhile, a free gut health assessment and microbiome testing camp will be hosted this Sunday at Mysore Auditorium, Matunga, by the foundation to diagnose issues in gut health among children with autism.
