The prestigious journal Nature Reviews Methods Primers (IF = 50.1) has published a paper co-authored by Prof. Krystyna Dąbrowska, head of the Phage Molecular Biology Laboratory.
Nature Reviews Methods Primers is a journal that provides the latest and most comprehensive methodological reviews across various scientific fields, serving as a benchmark for implementing cutting-edge technologies and modern experimental approaches.
This study is the result of an international collaboration, bringing together phage researchers from Finland, Israel, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, and the USA, including:
- Human Microbiome Research Program, University of Helsinki (Finland)
- Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
- Israeli Phage Center, Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center (Israel)
- KU Leuven, Laboratory of Gene Technology (Belgium)
- Leicester Centre for Phage Research, University of Leicester (UK)
- University of Copenhagen, Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (Denmark)
- Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Wrocław (Poland)
- Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine (Poland)
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences (USA)
- European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Switzerland)
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environmental Science (Finland)
- Loughborough University, Chemical Engineering Department (UK)
- Hadassah–Hebrew University Medical Center (Israel)
- Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (Belgium)
This international team focused on the scientific and practical aspects of phage therapy, covering microbiological methods for the preparation and characterization of phages and their complex interactions with bacteria, which influence phage potential in practical in vivo applications. The study analyzed factors determining the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of bacteriophages. The latest advancements in whole phage genome sequencing and RNA sequencing were discussed to enhance our understanding of phage biology. Based on current knowledge, the selection criteria for therapeutic phages in clinical applications and key elements in industrial-scale phage production were outlined. The analysis includes a review of clinical trials (both historical and contemporary), phage administration and dosing strategies, as well as limitations of phage therapy and approaches for overcoming these challenges and advancing the field in the future.
Link to publication: