Antibiotic-resistant infections now account for 25,000 deaths in Europe annually. Attention is now focused towards alternative approaches to infection control; bacteriophage therapy, well-established in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU), is increasingly being considered as one option.
Lytic bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria through rupture of the cell membrane. Much expertise has been amassed in the use of phages to kill bacteria in vitro. While the safety and efficacy of clinical therapy has not been rigorously tested in the FSU, regulatory requirements are now being applied to phage preparations in the EU.
One area that has received limited attention, but that will gain in importance as phage use becomes further established, is the incorporation of phage into medical materials to provide an antibacterial effect on contact of that material with the target bacterium. Such biomaterials could respond to an emergent infection before the clinical signs are evident, with potential to greatly improve patient prognosis. Phage-impregnated materials could be used as medical implants or wound dressings, and in applications relevant to hospital hygiene.
Funded by the Ογ½ΆΦ±²₯ Scheme B initiative.
The project runs from October 2015 to October 2018.
The project aimed to incorporate bacteriophages with efficacy against relevant wound bacteria, onto a range of biodegradable and biocompatible films. These materials are intended for the management and repair of skin injury, particularly burns, where the risk of infection is high.
The physical and chemical characterisation of a candidate biodegradable film material has been conducted, and a surface coating technique developed for the immobilisation of a range of bacteriophages to the material interface. The coating technique employed has been shown to increase the antibacterial efficacy of the material by increasing the numbers of infectious bacteriophages presented on the film surface.
Research team
Jack Barker
Dr Iain Allan
Dr Cressida Bowyer
Dr Irina Savina
Professor Stephen Denyer
Output
In preparation:
Bacteriophages - Biology, Technology, Therapy, Edited by David Harper, Stephen Abedon, Benjamin Burrowes and Malcolm McConville
Chapter title: Delivery of bacteriophages
Author: J Barker
DOI:
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40598-8