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

Guntur doctors cure drug-resistant bone infection with phage therapy Dr. K. Kalyan Chakravarthy  Dr. K. Kalyan Chakravarthy | Photo Credit: T VIJAY KUMAR Doctors at SHRI Hospital, Guntur, have successfully treated a 72-year-old woman from Bapatla suffering from a chronic, multidrug-resistant bone and joint infection. The patient had battled Acinetobacter baumannii for six months — resistant to all available antibiotics — before being admitted in critical condition in January. Led by Dr K. Kalyan Chakravarthy, specialist in sepsis and infectious diseases, in collaboration with Prof. Gopal Nath of Banaras Hindu University, the team used bacteriophage therapy — viruses that target bacteria — assisted by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Raviteja Y. and anaesthetist Dr Ramakrishna K. The patient has had no recurrence in the past six months. Once common before antibiotics, phage therapy is regaining attention amid rising antimicrobial resistance. Properly purified, bacteriophages are considered sa...

Effective, yet vulnerable: Review outlines key hurdles to using bacteriophages for plant disease control Using bacteriophages for plant disease protection faces key challenges. ( https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0160412019305410-ga1_lrg.jpg ) Using bacteriophages for plant disease protection faces key challenges including poor stability, environmental sensitiv ity, and timing issues, a new review finds. A team from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Department of Plant Pathology of the University of Florida reviewed the current state of bacteriophage (phage) therapy for plant disease control. Bacteriophages, or simply phages, are viruses that target bacterial hosts and exhibit typical viral characteristics. They cannot replicate independently and must rely on a bacterial host for reproduction. The review highlighted its potential as an alternative to antibiotics, especially in the face of growing regulatory restrictions on agricultural antibiotics. The inte...

Purifying Bacteriophages Using Anion-Exchange Chromatography Researchers from the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal created a new purification workflow for handling bacteriophages. Their findings and procedures were published in the Journal of Chromatography A (1). Alfama Lisbon Cityscape | Image Credit: © SeanPavonePhoto - stock.adobe.com Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate in bacterial cells. They are believed to be Earth’s most abundant biological agent, being very diverse in size, morphology, and genomic organization (2). They are used in various applications, most notably in treating bacterial infections. This is especially important in giving the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Misuse of antibiotics may lead to a post-antibiotic era, where minor wounds and infections can have the potential to be fatal. Most antibiotics currently in use were discovered and synthesized in the 1940s–1960s, while many antibiotics in clinical 2 trials are onl...

Salmonella Phages Genomic Study Boosts Milk Safety In a significant leap forward for food safety and microbial control, a groundbreaking study published in Food Science and Biotechnology in 2025 has unveiled the genomic landscapes of four novel Salmonella-specific bacteriophages, accompanied by a thorough assessment of their combined efficacy as a phage cocktail in milk systems. This research represents a thrilling convergence of molecular biology, genomics, and applied food technology, aimed at addressing the persistent threat posed by Salmonella contamination in dairy products—a global public health concern. Salmonella, a genus of bacteria responsible for numerous foodborne illnesses worldwide, has long challenged food scientists and safety regulators due to its resilience and ability to contaminate a variety of food matrices. The quest for effective, safe, and natural antimicrobial agents to combat such pathogens has propelled the exploration of bacteriophages—viruses th...

iNtRON Bio, Demonstrated Toxin-Neutralizing Effect of IMPA™ Phage Engineering Technology in Colorectal Cancer Model and Completed the US Patent Application • Successful validation of payloaded anti-colibactin toxin phage using IMPA™ technology  • Demonstrated 'Dual-target Therapeutic Strategy' by bacterial eradication and toxin neutralization  • Filed the US patent application for the candidate substance and preclinical studies including PoC underway BOSTON and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, a specific genotype of E. coli that may cause colorectal cancer has been detected in commonly eaten leafy vegetables such as lettuce, raising consumer concerns. Among these strains, pks+ E. coli is of particular concern. This bacterium produces a toxic substance in the intestine that causes DNA damage (ICLs, Interstrand Cross-Links), which leads to DSBs (Double Strand Breaks), and has been shown in numerous studies, including Nature (2023), to increase the ri...

University of Southampton unlocks phage potential against antibiotic-resistant bacteria ©Shutterstock/Lightspring As antibiotic resistance accelerates into a global health emergency, scientists are turning to an unlikely ally – viruses that kill bacteria. Now, new research from the University of Southampton has revealed how these viruses, known as phages, could be engineered to outsmart the sophisticated defences of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This breakthrough sheds light on a previously unknown bacterial defence mechanism and marks a critical step toward developing next-generation treatments that could one day replace failing antibiotics. Phages: Nature’s bacterial predators Phages, often described as ‘bacteria eaters,’ are viruses that specifically target and destroy bacterial cells while leaving human cells unharmed. Their unique ability to infiltrate and kill bacteria makes them promising candidates in the ongoing search for treatments against drug-resistant infecti...

PAS: The Fast PASS to The Future “ Two Can Play at That Game” by Ellie Jameson In recent years, antibiotic resistant bacteria, also referred to as “superbugs,” have become a major threat, adapting to withstand widely used antibiotic treatment. The fast reproduction of bacteria has brought constant mutations, with some mutations making stronger bacteria that survive and reproduce themselves. Ultimately this natural selection leads to bacteria that are strong enough to survive most antibiotics we have to offer. Bacterial evolution has caught up to human ingenuity and threatens to surpass it. These superbugs threaten to kill up to 10 million people per year by 2050, but antibiotics remain too valuable a resource to entirely replace. The only remaining option is to adapt with the times and develop evolving weaponry and treatment, harnessing man and nature to beat our old enemy. Bacteriophages are to a bacterium as a tiger is to a lamb. As the natural predator of bacteria, bacte...