The 7th World Congress on Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 took place on June 20-21 in Malta, attracting over 100 participants from more than 30 countries. The event included over 40 presentations, comprising major talks, short orals, and posters.
Dr. Jean Paul Pirnay concluded the conference with remarks emphasizing the critical role of personalized phage therapy in addressing the global antimicrobial crisis. An increasing number of real-world cases show that personalized phage therapy can be an essential and safe additional tool to help manage the worldwide antimicrobial crisis.
He highlighted the urgent need for hundreds of phages targeting over 30 bacterial species responsible for diverse infections. Defined phage products that are currently being developed target only 9 bacterial species (80% of them target 4 species) and only a handful of (commercially viable) infection types.
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.