EUCAST creates a Subcommittee on Phage susceptibility testing

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Subcommittee on Phage susceptibility testing

Lytic bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Phage therapy is emerging as a promising adjuvant to traditional antimicrobials for combatting difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. However, implementation of phage-based treatments requires standardized methods for testing their efficacy to select the optimal therapeutic phages. To address this, EUCAST has established the EUCAST Phage Susceptibility Testing (PST) Subcommittee

  • - Developing standardized reference methods to ensure uniform and reproducible in vitro phage susceptibility testing across laboratories worldwide,
  • - Establishing criteria for interpretation of PST results, providing clinicians and researchers with evidence-based guidelines to assess phage efficacy and monitor phage activity.
  • - Promoting quality assurance by implementing stringent quality control measures to maintain high standards in all phases of bacteriophage testing.
  • - Education and training to enhance the knowledge and skills of healthcare and scientific communities, enabling the relevant application of PST methodologies.

These efforts aim to harmonize laboratory practices, support clinical trials, and facilitate regulatory approval processes, contributing significantly to the development and broader use of phage-based therapies.

Subcommittee Members :

The PST currently consists of 23 members from 16 countries and meets on a monthly basis. Currently, involving laboratories of diverse Subcommittee members, a pilot trial is conducted to define the next steps towards a comprehensive standardization trial.


  

Alasdair MacGowan

EUCAST SC representative

UK

Maia Merabishvili

Belgium

Camille Kolenda

France

Radu Botgros

EMA observer

Netherlands

Christine Rohde

Germany

Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa

Poland

Ronen Hazan

Israel

Ana Filipa Moreira Martins

Germany

Joana Azeredo

Portugal

Jonathan Iredell

Australia

Goran Vukotic

Serbia

Mariagrazia Di Luca

Italy

Greg German

Canada

Karlis Racenis

Latvia

Pieter-Jan Ceyssens

Belgium

Robin Patel

USA

Pilar Domingo-Calap

Spain

Steering Committee : 

Frédéric Laurent

Frédéric Laurent

Chair
France
Annika Classen

Annika Classen

Scientific Secretary
Germany
Christian Giske

Christian Giske

EUCAST Steering Committee Representative
Sweden
Ran Nir-Paz

Ran Nir-Paz

ESGNTA Representative
Israel
Gregory Resch

Gregory Resch

Member
Switzerland
Martha Clokie

Martha Clokie

Member
United Kingdom
Jean-Paul Pirnay

Jean-Paul Pirnay

Member
Belgium







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