Researchers reported at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 that older mice given fecal microbiota transplants made from their own preserved, younger-age stool samples showed less liver inflammation and injury—and none developed liver cancer in the experiment.
A mouse study presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 suggests that returning older animals’ gut microbiomes to a more youthful state may help protect the liver.
In the experiment, researchers collected fecal samples from eight young mice, preserved them, and later transplanted the stored material back into the same mice as they aged using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). A separate control group of eight aging mice received sterilized fecal material.
By the end of the study, none of the mice that received their restored youthful microbiome developed liver cancer. In the control group, liver cancer was observed in two of the eight aging mice. The treated mice also showed lower levels of inflammation and reduced liver injury.
The researchers also reported molecular differences in the liver involving MDM2, a gene associated with liver cancer development: untreated older mice showed higher levels of the MDM2 protein, while mice that received the restored microbiome had suppressed MDM2 levels that more closely resembled those seen in young mice.
The findings are based on animal research presented at a scientific meeting and have not yet been shown in humans.
