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

Merck and Sigma-Aldrich have released recently a new product, the  Anti-fd Bacteriophage antibody produced in rabbit. Property Details :  Biological Source                                             Rabbit Quality Level                                                   200 Conjugate                                                         Unconjugated Antibody Form                                                IgG fraction of antiserum Antibody Product Type         ...

PhageLine : Bridging the Gap Between Cutting-Edge Phage Research and Public Understanding In an era where science is advancing at an extraordinary pace, the challenge is no longer only to produce knowledge, but to communicate it—clearly, accurately, and in ways that resonate beyond the boundaries of academia. Podcasts have emerged as one of the most effective tools for science communication, offering an intimate and flexible medium to explore complex topics without oversimplifying them. PhageLine is a podcast that fully embraces this mission. Dedicated to the intricate world of bacteriophages, it brings rigorous, peer-reviewed research to life through concise, well-structured audio episodes that are as intellectually engaging as they are accessible. Bacteriophages—viruses that infect and destroy bacteria—are at the center of a growing scientific and medical revolution. For decades, phages remained in the shadows of microbiology, mostly studied by specialists and largely unknown to t...

How scientists spy on bacteriophages inside your belly Just like humans can catch viruses and get sick, bacteria can also get sick from viruses called phages (short for   bacteriophages ). These phages infect only bacteria, turning them into virus factories. In the end, the phages burst the bacteria open from the inside, releasing more viruses into the environment and killing their bacterial host.  Because they naturally hunt down and destroy bacteria, phages are being explored as treatments for infections (See article about  phage therapy ), especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can send us to the hospital. Another exciting area of research is using phages to engineer the  gut microbiome , which is the community of microorganisms, mostly bacteria, living in our large intestine. A healthy gut microbiome supports a strong immune system and has even been linked to  mental well-being . On the flip side, a disrupted microbiome has been connec...

The Genomic Revolution and Phage Therapy: From Discovery to Precision Medicine (1990s–2010) The closing decade of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century marked a pivotal era in the history of phage therapy. The rapid advancements in genomics, molecular biology, and biotechnology transformed our understanding of bacteriophages, propelling them from largely empirical treatments to agents of precision medicine. Between the 1990s and 2010, this transformative period saw not only the reawakening of scientific interest in phage therapy but also the emergence of new methodologies that would lay the groundwork for contemporary applications targeting antibiotic-resistant infections. Photo taken from :  https://phage.directory/capsid/building-a-phage-lab The Genomic Era: Decoding Phage Biology The introduction and widespread adoption of DNA sequencing technologies radically shifted bacteriophage research. Prior to this period, knowledge of phage genetics was rudimenta...

Harnessing Synthetic Biology for Phage Therapy and Probiotic Development Researchers are using synthetic biology techniques to develop more targeted antimicrobials. Our toolbox for understanding and manipulating biology has developed substantially in the last decade, culminating in novel therapies for combating disease. However, pathogens have been forging defense systems of their own. The evolution of drug-resistance mechanisms has led to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) being declared one of the top global public health threats. To combat AMR, researchers are turning to antibiotic alternatives such as phage therapies for a potential solution. Synthetic biology techniques have emerged as transformative tools in the tug-of-war between humans and drug-resistant bacteria. This multidisciplinary field, involving the engineering of new or modified living systems, can be used to engineer new antimicrobials in the fight against superbugs. Today, researchers are utilizing synthetic biology tech...

Bacteriophage and Phage Therapy Laboratory Photo taken from :  https://www.chuv.ch/fr/crisp/therapies-innovantes-biologiques-et-cellulaires/laboratoire-des-bacteriophages-et-de-phagotherapie Antibiotics are essential drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases, but the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria continues to call their effectiveness into question. Given the limited number of new drugs currently in clinical development, it is essential to evaluate alternative non-antibiotic treatments. Bacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous natural bacterial predators that specifically infect and kill bacterial cells during their life cycle. Bacteriophages also produce endolysins (lysins) as part of their lytic cycle to degrade the peptidoglycan layer of infected bacteria to release the phage progeny. Due to the rapid lethal action of purified recombinant forms of these enzymes when added extrinsically to Gram-positive bacteria, they are currently being actively exploited as...

The good virus – phage therapeutics Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing global health threats of our time. It undermines the efficacy of modern medicine—making routine surgeries, cancer therapies, and other treatments significantly riskier. In 2021 alone, an estimated 4.71 million deaths were associated with bacterial AMR, including 1.14 million directly attributable deaths. If trends continue, more than 39 million lives could be lost to bacterial AMR between 2025 and 2050. In response, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a political declaration in September 2024, reaffirming AMR as a global health priority and calling for urgent, coordinated action 1 . Amid this backdrop, bacteriophages—or simply ‘phages’—are regaining attention as a powerful, precision-based tool in the fight against superbugs. These viruses specifically target and kill bacteria, playing a critical role in regulating bacterial populations and maintaining ecological balance. Phage therap...