Reinventing the fight against bacteria, one phage at a time.

Programmable Antisense Oligomers Advance Phage Genomics Ai generated In a groundbreaking advance for phage biology, researchers have unveiled a precise and programmable method to dissect the functional genetics of jumbo phages using antisense oligomers (ASOs). These novel molecular weaponry allow unprecedented targeted knockdowns of phage genes, illuminating the intricate choreography of infection and viral replication with a resolution never before achieved. At the heart of this investigation is the Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage ΦKZ, an enigmatic giant virus whose infection cycle hinges on the formation of a protective proteinaceous “phage nucleus” and a sophisticated division of transcription labor between phage-encoded RNA polymerases. The fundamental challenge confronting phage research has long been the complexity of multifunctional viral genes and the limited toolkit for selectively perturbing individual gene functions in the context of infection. To address this, the team employe...

'Microbial piracy’ uncovers new way to fight drug-resistant infections  comments   Save article Please  Sign in  to your account to use this feature Imperial scientists have uncovered how bacteriophages are able to hijack other viruses to break into bacterial cells and spread, through an act of microbial piracy which could potentially be harnessed for medicine. Source:  fdecomite Pirate Flag The discovery, published in the journal  Cell , reveals a major route by which bacteria are able to acquire new genetic material, including traits that can make them more virulent or more resistant to antibiotics. The researchers believe it could also open the door to new ways of tackling the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and developing rapid diagnostic tools. READ MORE:  Parasites of viruses drive superbug evolution Phages (or bacteriophages) are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They are among the most abundant organisms on Earth and are of...

Phage research: Hacked! HIRI researchers gain insight into the molecular world of phages and bacteria. Würzburg, September 10, 2025—Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect bacteria. Using phages therapeutically could be very useful in fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens, but the molecular interactions between phages and host bacteria are not yet sufficiently understood. Jörg Vogel's research group at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB) in Würzburg has now succeeded in specifically interfering with phage reproduction using a molecular tool called antisense oligomers (ASOs). According to the researchers, this innovative RNA technology offers new insights into the molecular world of phages and is expected to advance the development of future therapeutic applications. The study has been published in the journal  Nature . Like humans, bacteria have to cope with viruses—known as b...

A patient with cystic fibrosis overcomes acute rejection of lung transplant through phage therapy A team led by the University of Valencia at the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC) has succeeded in eradicating a chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient with a double lung transplant. Compassionate-use therapy with bacteriophages, still under clinical development, has shown its potential as a complementary treatment in cases of antibiotic-resistant infections. The study has been published by the American Society for Microbiology. Fig 1  Microbiological and clinical outcome of phage treatment. ( A ) Timeline including  P. aeruginosa  load in sputum samples (left  y -axis, in gray bars) and %FEV1/FVC ratio by spirometry (right  y -axis, in orange). Sputum samples were mixed with N-acetylcysteine prior to bacterial isolation. Duration of the acute rejection status is represented in yellow, two rounds of 10-...

Mushroom chemical teams with phages to deliver a one-two punch to MRSA A chemical found in mushrooms can be teamed with bacteriophages to deliver a one-two punch to antibiotic-resistant infections, reveals a study presented at MLS Future Forum 2025. The research was one of the winning presentations at the Minoritised Life Scientists Future Forum at the ICC in Birmingham in April 2025, netting a prize of a LUMI module from Reach Industries for its corresponding author Michaël D Tadesse, a PhD graduate of the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick. MLS Future Forum is supported by Applied Microbiology International. In his presentation, Michaël revealed that the natural product pleurotin exhibits potent antibacterial activity against  Staphylococcus aureus  when combined with bacteriophages, demonstrating phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS), which could help combat antibiotic-resistant infections using a one-two punch approach. “Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global h...

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation funds development of engineered phages for Pseudomonas infections The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation  announced today  that it is investing $7.6 million in Danish microbiome technology company SNIPR Biome to develop a cocktail of engineered bacteriophages targeting a common cause of chronic lung infections in CF patients. The phage therapy developed by SNIPR Biome will be designed to eliminate persistent  Pseudomonas aeruginosa  infections, which can cause significant lung damage in CF patients, are often multidrug-resistant and difficult to eliminate, and require long-term use of inhaled antibiotics. Because of the mucus that builds up in their lungs, CF patients are prone to bacterial infections that can exacerbate their condition.   Taken from :  https://www.pacehospital.com/cystic-fibrosis-symptoms-causes-treatment-prevention Identifying optimal phages To develop the cocktail, SNIPR plans to collect phages—live, naturally der...

How Fast Do Bacteriophages Evolve and Adapt to Bacteria? Introduction Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect and replicate within bacterial hosts. As obligate parasites, they are engaged in a continuous evolutionary arms race with bacteria. The rate at which phages evolve has profound implications for microbial ecology, the development of phage therapy, and the understanding of virus–host co-evolution in general. This article explores how rapidly phages can adapt to bacterial defenses, what factors influence this speed, and how it compares to bacterial resistance and other evolutionary systems. Insights are drawn from experimental evolution studies, mathematical models, and natural ecosystems, including the key contribution by De Paepe & Taddei (2006) on phage life-history trade-offs. Illustration:  A Primer on Phage-Bacterium Antagonistic Coevolution,  https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-94309-7_25 Bacteriophage Evolution: A Dynamic Arms Race...