Dr. Jumpei Fujiki, member of the Scientific Board, Rakuno Gakuen University, Japan, will deliver an oral presentation at the 8th World Congress Targeting Therapy.
Presentation Title: Biocontrol of Phage Resistance in Pseudomonas Infections -Fitness Trade-Offs Between Phages and Antibiotic Sensitivity.
Summary
In the clinical application of phage therapy, biocontrolling the emergence of phage-resistant bacteria in response to phage administration is a critical challenge. Traditionally, efforts to manage phage resistance have focused on preventing the emergence of resistance itself. Previous studies have demonstrated that combining phages targeting different receptors (phage cocktails) can effectively suppress the development of resistance to some extent.
However, in Dr. Fujiki’s own clinical trials, they still observed the emergence of phage-resistant bacteria despite the use of phage cocktails. This underscores the necessity of not only preventing resistance but also actively controlling it. Against this backdrop, recent studies on fitness trade-offs between phage and antibiotic resistance have opened new avenues in phage therapy. By focusing on the evolutionary fitness of phage-resistance, an alternative strategy emerges: steering resistance evolution in a direction that benefits treatment. This concept suggests that inducing phage resistance in a way that restores bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics could be a key point in optimizing phage therapy.
In this talk, Dr. Fujiki will present two key strategies we are exploring in the context of veterinary phage therapy for Pseudomonas infections in Japan:
- Suppressing resistance through rational cocktail design
- Exploiting resistance evolution to sensitize bacteria to antibiotics.
This presentation aims to deepen our understanding of how phage therapy can be refined for more effective clinical application.
Targeting Phage Therapy 2025
June 10-11, 2025 – Berlin, Germany