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

'Bigfoot' virus found: New phage targets Legionnaires' disease-causing bacteria L-R: The newly discovered LME-1 phage as seen under a transmission electron microscope, and a high-resolution image showing the detailed structure of LME-1. Credit: Beth Nicholson, Justin Deme and Susan Lea University of Toronto researchers have made the first discovery of a virus that infects Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease. The findings,  published in  Science Advances , open the door for the use of bacterial viruses—also known as bacteriophages, or phages for short—to treat Legionella infections and uncover a surprising insight into how the bacteria evolved to cause disease. In addition to isolating the new phage, named LME-1, the researchers also showed that it could infect Legionella pneumophila and inhibit the bacteria's growth in human macrophages, the  immune cells  where these bacteria typically reside. LME-1 was identified by a team of res...

Cytophage Receives Federal Support for Entry into European Market through France Biomanufacturing Mission WINNIPEG, September 29, 2025 — Cytophage Technologies Ltd. (“Cytophage” or the “Company”) (TSXV: CYTO, FSE: 70G) announced its participation in the Canadian biomanufacturing mission held in Lyon and Paris, France from September 21-25, 2025 under the Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP). This government-led initiative, organized by Global Affairs Canada and the National Research Council of Canada, brought together leading Canadian companies to explore co-innovation opportunities within the French bioeconomy. “We engaged with prospective European partners on this mission to help advance the commercialization of our bacteriophage products globally,” said Dr. Steven Theriault, CEO of Cytophage. “We were honoured to represent Canadian innovation alongside our esteemed industry peers, and grateful for the federal government’s support for this mission. We extend our sincere th...

How bacteria 'vaccinate' themselves with genetic material from dormant viruses Summary: Scientists say they have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from certain phage invaders -- by seizing genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and using it to 'vaccinate' themselves to elicit an immune response. Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, derived from the Greek word for bacteria-eaters, or in shortened form, "phages." Scientists have sought to learn how the single-cell organisms survive phage infection in a bid to further understand human immunity and develop ways to combat diseases. Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from certain phage invaders -- by seizing genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and using it to "vaccinate" themselves to elicit an immune response. In their experiments, the s...

Antibiotic resistance: a solution exists! With  Pascale COSSART Member of the Academy of Sciences Antibiotics have long been considered a miracle weapon, capable of eradicating diseases caused by bacteria. However, their widespread use has given rise to an even more formidable threat: antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization now speaks of a "silent pandemic." Every year, more than a million people die indirectly from them, and if nothing changes, this figure could rise to ten million by 2050. Ten million is more than cancer. Should we resign ourselves to losing this battle? No! Pascale Cossart, Honorary Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, Professor Emeritus at the Pasteur Institute, and a specialist in microorganisms, helps us rediscover a forgotten avenue, an alternative to antibiotics that deserves our full attention: phage therapy. Listen to the podcast here, in French :  https://www.canalacademies.com/emissions/lenvie-de-savoir/antibioresist...

Escape from PARIS: Virus smuggles RNA into bacterial cell to survive immunity A bacterial cell infected by a virus can sacrifice itself by cutting its own RNA (pink) via an immune effector protein (green) to stop the spread of the virus. Credit: Maria Alexandrova Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from the Pasteur Institute and the University of Lorraine, France, have uncovered some of the inner workings of a recently discovered bacterial immune system called PARIS, which can potentially make human pathogens resistant to phage therapy. A promising alternative to antibiotics, phage therapy refers to the use of viruses called phages to infect and destroy bacteria that cause disease in humans. Already used to some extent, the approach is expected to make advances when scientists have a better understanding of the interaction between bacteria and phages. That interaction is at the heart of the recent study  published  in the  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Soc...

Scientists develop a virus cocktail to combat superbugs Peer-Reviewed Publication Monash University Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a bespoke phage therapy product to combat a highly problematic, antimicrobial resistant bacteria. In a major advance for infectious disease treatment, researchers from Monash University and The Alfred have developed a bespoke phage therapy product that uses bacterial viruses, known as ‘bacteriophages’, to combat a highly problematic, antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The treatment, named  Entelli-02 , is a five-phage cocktail designed specifically to target  Enterobacter cloacae  complex (ECC), a group of bacteria responsible for severe, often difficult-to-treat infections. The study, published in   Nature  Microbiology , was led by  Professor Jeremy J. Barr  from the Monash University School of Biological Sciences, with  Professor Anton Peleg  from the Department of Infectious Diseases, The A...

Proteolytic Inactivation Follows Genomic Hypomethylation in Pseudomonas Ai generated In the ongoing microbial arms race between bacteria and bacteriophages, restriction-modification (R-M) systems stand out as some of the most ancient and effective bacterial defense strategies. These systems function by distinguishing self from non-self DNA, enabling bacteria to cleave invading viral genomes while sparing their own. However, this form of molecular immunity is fraught with inherent risk; given the sheer number of potential restriction sites littered across a bacterial genome, the possibility of autoimmunity — the accidental degradation of self-DNA — remains a persistent threat with potentially lethal consequences. A recent breakthrough study from Shmidov et al. sheds new light on how  Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a clinically significant opportunistic pathogen, modulates its restriction endonucleases to circumvent self-destruction, with fascinating implications for bacterial physiology a...