Latest News - Targeting Phage Therapy Congress

Potential for Bacteriophages as Anticancer Agents

Posted on February 10, 2023April 28, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Press release written by Dr. Swapnil Ganesh Sanmukh. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with prostate cancer (PCa) being the leading cause of death among men globally. As components of the microbiome, including bacteriophages, are considered relevant concerning the diagnostics and therapeutics of malignant diseases, new interest has emerged to identify their…

Managing phage therapy to help save lives

Posted on January 27, 2023February 7, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Phages are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without affecting human or animal cells. Phage therapy was used extensively in the early 20th century prior to the use of antibiotics. (Stock illustration) Scientists with the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were among those providing the biochemical tools needed to help save a man’s…

Phage trial to treat CF patients with multi-drug resistant bacterial infections

Posted on January 27, 2023February 7, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

A false-color micrograph depicts phages attacking a bacterium. Thomas Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging, UC San Diego Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and other organs in the body. Nearly 40,000 children and adults in the United States live with CF, an often difficult existence…

NIH-supported clinical trial of phage therapy for cystic fibrosis begins

Posted on January 27, 2023February 1, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image shows a number of rod-shaped Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria Enrollment has begun in an early-stage clinical trial evaluating bacteriophage therapy in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) who carry Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in their lungs. The trial is evaluating whether the bacteriophage, or “phage,” therapy is safe and able to reduce…

A novel virulent Litunavirus phage against multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Transmission electron micrographs of phage VL1 negatively stained with 2% (w/v) uranyl acetate. The scale bar represents 200 nm. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a notable nosocomial pathogen that can cause severe infections in humans and animals. The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa has motivated the development of phages to treat the infections. Lerdsittikul et al.…

Anti-Biofilm Effect of Bacteriophages & Antibiotics against Uropathogenic E. coli

Posted on December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Pyobacteriophag effect before (1 and 1′) and after (2 and 2′) adaptation to strain 01206UR Escherichia coli is a common cause of biofilm-associated urinary tract infections. Bacteria inside the biofilm are more resistant to antibiotics. In a study by Mukane et al, six E. coli strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infections were screened for biofilm-forming…

Bacteriophage Cocktails in the Post-COVID Rehabilitation

Posted on December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Increasing evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis is associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and may persist long after disease resolution. The excessive use of antimicrobials in patients with COVID-19 can lead to additional destruction of the microbiota, as well as to the growth and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The problem of bacterial resistance to…

Zn2+- Releasing Phage Bound to Gold Nanorods for Treating Wound Infections

Posted on December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Phage therapy forms a good alternative to antibiotics, but it poses serious drawbacks and safety concerns, such as the risk of genetic transduction of antibiotic resistance genes, inconsistent pharmacokinetics, and unknown evolutionary potential. Metallic nanoparticles, in turn, possess precise, tunable properties, including efficient conversion of electronic excitation into heat. Peng et al., demonstrated that engineered…

Engineered Bacteriophages Suppress Antibiotic Resistant P. Aeuruginosa Infection

Posted on November 15, 2022January 25, 2023 by Targeting Phage Therapy

DMS3acrIF1 mitigates tissue injury and improve survival – histological analysis The therapeutic use of bacteriophages provides great promise for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. However, an incomplete understanding of the interactions between phages and bacteria has negatively impacted the application of phage therapy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium that causes…

Personalized Bacteriophage Therapy Against Pandrug-Resistant Spinal Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection

Posted on August 29, 2022December 13, 2022 by Targeting Phage Therapy

Visualization of Plaque Forming Units (PFU) of the different phages on the patient’s strains isolated before phage therapy or during the second-stage surgery procedure. Bone and joint infections (BJI) are one of the most difficult-to-treat bacterial infection, especially in the era of antimicrobial resistance. Lytic bacteriophages are natural viruses that can selectively target and kill…