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

Common painkillers linked to antibiotic resistance Ibuprofen and paracetamol are common over-the-counter medications that many of us reach for when we’re sick. But new research from the University of South Australia shows that these trusted staples are quietly fuelling one of the world’s biggest health threats: antibiotic resistance. In the first study of its kind, researchers found that ibuprofen and paracetamol are not only driving antibiotic resistance when used individually but amplifying it when used together. Taken from https://unisa.edu.au/ Assessing the interaction of non-antibiotic medications, the broad-spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) – a common bacteria that causes gut and urinary tract infections ­­– researchers found that ibuprofen and paracetamol significantly increased bacterial mutations, making E. coli highly resistant to the antibiotic. It’s an important finding that has serious health implications, particularly for people in aged...

Phage therapy, a natural weapon against resistant bacteria A view from the hospital, taken from ( https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shutterstock.com%2Feditorial%2Fimage-editorial%2Fexterior-view-sacco-hospital-milan-northern-italy-10563124 ) One of the first treatments in the world that uses viruses capable of eliminating specific bacteria has been started at the Sacco hospital in Milan. Phage therapy, based on the use of bacteriophage viruses (or phages) capable of attacking specific bacteria, represents a potential alternative to antibiotics in cases of resistant infections. It is a highly personalized therapy that, at present, requires further clinical studies and confirmation. The Fatebenefratelli Sacco Hospital in Milan has announced that it has started using this technique to treat a patient with a pressure ulcer infected by  Pseudomonas aeruginosa  , a bacterium often present in hospital settings and which, in this specific case, has proven resi...

In Lyon, phage therapy  against antibiotic resistance At the Croix-Rousse Hospital in Lyon, the  Reference Center for Complex Osteoarticular Infections (CrioaC)  treats patients at a therapeutic impasse using viruses found in the environment. Professor Tristan Ferry examines the scar of Alexandre Vuitton, a patient he is treating for a osteoarticular infection following a knee prosthesis. © Bastien Doudaine. "You're experienced, would you like more explanations?"  asks nurse Koudedia Fall to Alexandre Vuitton. This is the third consecutive week that this 51-year-old patient has traveled from the Jura region, where he lives. He waits with a smile on his face to be picked up for the procedure he is scheduled to undergo. Like every Thursday, it's a frenzy in this day hospital perched on the heights of Lyon.  "Working here is generally much quieter than in the inpatient unit: but Thursdays are crazy!"  laughs Irmine Achikpa, a nurse here for ten years. Since th...

CARB-X to support PHIOGEN’S phage-based project targeting E. coli infections Novel project aims to combine immediate treatment with long-term immune protection (BOSTON: August 26, 2025) – Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) has awarded PHIOGEN US$1.1M to evaluate PHI-BI-01, its novel, dual-action therapeutic designed to treat and prevent extraintestinal pathogenic  Escherichia coli  (ExPEC) bloodstream infections, particularly those caused by multidrug-resistant strains. This next-generation phage-based project aims to reduce mortality and recurrence in patients suffering from life-threatening bacterial sepsis by combining immediate bacterial killing with long-term immune protection from subsequent infections. PHI-BI-01 has the potential to represent a new class of phage therapy designed to do more than clear infections. This candidate product offers the long-term protection against reinfection by incorporating phages enhanced through...

The anti-Kronos effect: How bacterial viruses protect their offspring to maximize spread Screenshot from a video showing the movement of fibers called pili—which are located on the bacterial surface and function as a docking station for phages—on typical Pseudomonas bacteria (oval shapes). Credit: Matthias Koch   University of Toronto researchers have uncovered how bacterial viruses protect their progeny in order to maximize their reach. The phenomenon, described in a study   published   in   Nature , relies on viral proteins to fine-tune structures on the surface of the bacterial host cell and is widely conserved—pointing to a previously unknown parallel between microbial and human immunity. The researchers dubbed their discovery the anti-Kronos effect, after the Greek god who ate his children. Researchers have long known that once a cell is infected by a  virus , it can block subsequent reinfection by the same or closely related viruses. This process, called s...