Category: Congress Info

Prof. Dr. Christian Willy from Military Academic Hospital Berlin, Germany will give concluding remarks and deliver his vision on How phage therapy may evolve in the coming years.

About Prof. Dr. Christian Willy :

Prof. Willy has been actively involved in the field of phage therapy since 2016. He led the first phage treatment in Germany using Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-grade phages and has served as the consortial lead of the PhagoFlow project since 2018. His commitment extends to his role as Co-Chairman of the NATO Research Task Group “Reintroduction of phage therapy in military medical space.” Additionally, he has contributed to publications addressing the current state and future prospects of phage therapy in Germany.

In a promising breakthrough against antibiotic-resistant infections, researchers have harnessed personalized bacteriophage therapy to combat Pseudomonas aeruginosa in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). The innovative approach—designed to exploit bacterial “trade-offs” that weaken resistance or virulence—was used to treat nine CF patients with compassionate-use nebulized phage therapy.

The results were encouraging: bacterial load in patients’ lungs dropped significantly without disturbing the broader microbiome, and no adverse effects were reported. More intriguingly, the therapy induced evolutionary changes in the bacteria that appeared to reduce both drug resistance and harmfulness. Patients also showed improved lung function, suggesting a dual benefit from reduced bacterial density and phage-driven bacterial weakening.

As the world faces a mounting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, this targeted and evolutionary-informed strategy marks a potential paradigm shift—especially for hard-to-treat infections in chronic conditions like CF.

Dr. Gail L. Stanley, MD, MPH, will share insights from this pioneering work at the upcoming Phage Therapy 2025 conference, where global experts will explore the clinical frontier of bacteriophage-based medicine.

• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Phage Production – Ensuring compliance with pharmaceutical and industrial regulations
• Scaling Production: Challenges and solutions in large-scale phage manufacturing
• Quality Control & Standardization: Developing consistent, safe, and effective phage-based products

• Regulatory Pathways for Phage Products – Understanding approval processes for therapeutic, veterinary, and industrial applications
• Documentation & Compliance – Key administrative requirements for licensing and product registration
• How to Import Phage Products into Europe – Navigating regulations for importing phages that are available as OTC (over-the-counter) treatments in other countries
• Who Controls Phage Banks in Europe and Internationally? – Overview of institutions, regulatory bodies, and guidelines governing the collection, storage, and distribution of bacteriophage strains

• Market Access & Commercialization Strategies – How to bring phage products to clinical, veterinary, and food industries
• Investment & Funding Opportunities – Navigating financial aspects for startups and biotech companies

Dr. Pirnay stated: “Sustainable personalized phage therapy approaches need to be facilitated through the creation of dedicated regulatory frameworks and the development of devices for the instant and on-site synthetic production of AI predicted therapeutic phages.

Phages are best used in synergy with other antimicrobials, or to quote Dr. Sabrina Green: “Phages Can Make Antibiotics Great Again”.”

Looking ahead, the progress in phage therapy will be a central focus at the Targeting Phage Therapy 2025 conference.

Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 conference replay is now available offering valuable perspectives on the latest advancements in phage therapy. Explore the latest breakthroughs in phage therapy and how they’re tackling antibiotic resistance via a 3 weeks access.

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