An interventional study of For a bipsies and rectal administration in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn Disease, sponsored by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-27.
Sponsored by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed in sufficient amounts. Traditional probiotics, mainly from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, originate from fermented foods or the human gut and are widely used in supplements. Although considered safe and easy to produce, they are not specifically designed to treat diseases, and no official health claims have been approved by EFSA. Advances in microbiome research have led to the discovery of Next-Generation Probiotics (NGPs), which are newly identified gut microbes associated with health and offer promising therapeutic potential despite lacking a long history of safe use.
The concept of probiotics dates back to 1907, when Elie Metchnikoff observed that elderly Bulgarian populations consuming fermented dairy products, such as yogurt rich in lactic acid bacteria (LAB), appeared to have increased longevity. This observation formed the basis for the development of traditional probiotics.
Traditional probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in adequate amounts. These microbes are typically derived from fermented foods or the human gastrointestinal tract. Most belong to a limited number of well-characterized genera, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Certain strains of these bacteria are recognized as safe and have been granted Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) status by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In addition, they are technologically robust, meaning they can be easily cultivated and mass-produced for industrial applications.
Despite their popularity and widespread use in dietary supplements and functional foods, traditional probiotics are not specifically developed as treatments for diseases. Their mechanisms of action include modulation of gut microbiota, enhancement of the gut barrier, and interaction with the immune system. However, most supporting evidence comes from laboratory (in vitro), animal, or ex vivo studies rather than strong clinical trials. As a result, EFSA has evaluated more than 400 probiotic-related claims but has not approved any specific health claims due to insufficient conclusive evidence.
In recent years, advances in microbiota and microbiome research-particularly through metagenomics and microbial profiling-have significantly expanded our understanding of the gut ecosystem. It is now well established that dysbiosis, or imbalance in gut microbiota composition, is associated with a wide range of diseases, including metabolic, immune, and inflammatory disorders.
These scientific developments have led to the identification of new microorganisms that are associated with healthy individuals rather than traditional dietary sources. These microbes are classified as Next-Generation Probiotics (NGPs) or Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs). Unlike traditional probiotics, NGPs are not restricted to classical genera and do not have a long history of safe human use. Instead, they are often identified through comparative studies analyzing differences between healthy and diseased microbiomes.
NGPs represent a promising new frontier in microbiota-based therapies, as they may be specifically selected or engineered to target particular diseases or health conditions. A growing number of potentially beneficial species have been identified, opening new opportunities for precision medicine and personalized interventions based on gut microbiota composition.
1,853 studies on the registry are indexed under Colitis, Ulcerative; 472 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 70 across 1,236 interventional studies indexed under Colitis, Ulcerative.
Browse Colitis, Ulcerative studies →Catholic University of the Sacred Heart is the lead sponsor of 237 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Subjects with the following chronic or active infections:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
patients with UC and CD
Diagnostic Test: For a bipsies · Dietary Supplement: rectal administration
For the collection of a few additional biopsies
rectal administration of a specific probiotic
Evaluate the effect of rectal administered a specific probiotic in Rectal mucosal healing
The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of rectal administered a specific probiotic on gut microbiota in patients with UC and CD for Rectal Mucosal Healing with mayo score. Rectal mucosal healing assessed by Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES) (range 0-3; lower scores indicate better mucosal healing and lower disease activity).
Time frame: 1 year
Evaluate the tolerability of rectal a specific probiotic in Rectal Mucosal healing
Tolerability of rectally administered probiotic assessed by the incidence of adverse events and treatment discontinuations.
Time frame: 1 year
Evaluate the quality of life
Quality of life assessed by the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) (range 32-224; higher scores indicate better quality of life).
Time frame: 1 year
evaluate the feasibility of a specific probiotic
To evaluate the feasibility of a specific probiotic rectal administration in a cohort of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis by nursing notes
Time frame: 1 year
Started May 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2026, 16 months after the start.
Of 225 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Colitis, Ulcerative, half reached primary completion within 34 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 56. This study's planned 16 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 236 studies reached it within 34 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 54.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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Catholic University of the Sacred Heart →