Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Mar 18;5(1):30-39.
doi: 10.1089/phage.2023.0045. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Addressing the Research and Development Gaps in Modern Phage Therapy

Paul E Turner  1   2   3 , Joana Azeredo  4   5 , Ed T Buurman  6 , Sabrina Green  7 , Jakob Krause Haaber  8 , Douglas Haggstrom  9   10 , Koichi Kameda de Figueiredo Carvalho  11 , Claas Kirchhelle  12 , Mercedes Gonzalez Moreno  9   13 , Jean-Paul Pirnay  14 , Mirza Alas Portillo  12
Affiliations
Review

Addressing the Research and Development Gaps in Modern Phage Therapy

Paul E Turner et al. Phage (New Rochelle). .

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise globally, prompting increased research and development (R&D) of phage therapy as a strategy to address difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. We review the current state of phage therapy research, including major operational, epistemic, and biological challenges for phage R&D, and discuss some new approaches to developing the technology motivated by recent breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence and synthetic phage production. In addition, we contextualize these R&D challenges and opportunities in light of the ongoing predicament of commercial antimicrobial innovation and current public-private efforts to reinvigorate the pipeline of antimicrobial drug discovery. We conclude with reflections on the potential for new phage therapies to be readily accessible across all income contexts to better ensure broad patient access, and consider possible alternatives to current public and public-private solutions for phage therapy and production.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; biofilm; biotechnology; patient access; personalized medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Keen EC. A century of phage research: Bacteriophages and the shaping of modern biology. Bioessays 2015;37(1):6–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fruciano DE, Bourne S. Phage as an antimicrobial agent: d'Herelle's heretical theories and their role in the decline of phage prophylaxis in the West. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2007;18(1):19–26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chanishvili N. Phage therapy—History from Twort and d'Herelle through Soviet experience to current approaches. Adv Virus Res 2012;83:3–40. - PubMed
    1. Summers WC. The strange history of phage therapy. Bacteriophage 2012;2(2):130–133. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salmond GP, Fineran PC. A century of the phage: Past, present and future. Nat Rev Microbiol 2015;13(12):777–786. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources