Researchers programme phages to fight pathogens

Bacteriophages, known informally as phages, are viruses that can attack and kill specific bacteria, and researchers hope to engineer them to combat certain bacterial infections. In fact the food industry is already using phages to destroy pathogens in food products, according to a statement from the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich.

But a major obstacle in using phages for therapeutic purposes is that it is difficult to genetically engineer viruses for use against specific bacteria. A novel technology from ETH researchers could now change this by allowing scientists to genetically modify phage genomes to provide them with additional functionalities and then reactivate them in a bacterial “surrogate”. 

“In the past, we had to screen millions of phages and select those with the desired characteristics,” explained ETH Professor Martin Loessner. “Now we are able to create these viruses from scratch, test them within a reasonable period and, if necessary, modify them again.”

The researchers are not particularly worried about potential resistance against the phages, writes ETH Zurich. Even if there were any, their technology platform makes it possible to quickly develop a suitable phage against which a bacterium has not yet developed resistance.

With their new technology, the researchers have overcome the constraints associated with the use of naturally occurring phages, making it “a giant stride towards applying synthetic bacteriophages for use in therapy, diagnostics or the food industry”. 

The researchers have already applied for a patent for their technology and now hope to find licensees to produce the phages for therapy and diagnostics.