Back to the future: bacteriophages as promising therapeutic tools

• Published in: HLA Vol. 87; no. 3; pp. 133 - 140
• Main Authors: Domingo-Calap, P., Georgel, P., Bahram, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotics; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - pathogenicity; Bacteria - virology; Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Bacterial Infections - pathology; Bacterial Infections - therapy; Bacterial Typing Techniques - methods; Bacterial Vaccines - biosynthesis; bacteriophage; Bacteriophages - physiology; Cell Surface Display Techniques; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug Carriers - pharmacology; drug delivery; gene therapy; Humans; phage display; phage therapy; Phage Therapy - methods; recombinant antibodies; phage display; phage therapy; gene therapy; drug delivery; recombinant antibodies; antibiotics; bacteriophage
• ISSN: 2059-2302; 2059-2310
• DOI: 10.1111/tan.12742

Bacteriophages (phages), natural predators of bacteria, are becoming increasingly attractive in medical and pharmaceutical applications. After their discovery almost a century ago, they have been particularly instrumental in the comprehension of basic molecular biology and genetics processes. The more recent emergence of multi‐drug‐resistant bacteria requires novel therapeutic strategies, and phages are being (re)considered as promising potential antibacterial tools. Furthermore, phages are also used for other purposes, e.g. vaccine production, gene/drug carriers, bacterial detection and typing. These new alternative approaches using phages are of major interest and have allowed unexpected developments, from the decipherment of fundamental biological processes to potential clinical applications.