Bacteriophages (also called “phages”) are the viruses of bacteria. They are believed to be the most common lifeform on the planet, with an estimated 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 phage existing at any given moment—ten million times more than there are stars in the universe. This substantial biomass, and the corresponding genetic diversity associated with it, has allowed for practical uses of phages ranging from biocontrol in agriculture to biosensors in electronic devices.
The use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections is called phage therapy. Here at the Center for Phage Biology & Therapy, we are discovering and characterizing new phages from the environment, studying ones with the highest therapeutic potential and eventually deploying them in a clinical setting. In short, we follow the traditional drug development pipeline model from the environment to the lab bench to the hospital bedside, all in one research center.
A lot of research goes into the development of a phage isolated from the environment to its use in the clinic, including genetic characterization, large studies examining the evolutionary response of bacteria to the phage, and determining the most effective way to deliver the phage to the site of infection. Performing these studies is critical, as long-term, safe, efficacious, and rational use of phage in the clinic will rely on—and be informed by—these well-developed laboratory experiments.
