A treatment first used more than a century ago, that uses bacteria-killing viruses, is making a comeback in Australia and doctors hope it will help counter a growing crisis of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The Alfred hospital in Melbourne has become the first health service in Victoria to begin using the pioneering phage therapy, which involves utilising harmless viruses – known as bacteriophages – to kill germs in cases where traditional antibiotics have failed.
Professor Anton Peleg, head of infectious diseases at The Alfred, said phage therapy was being used for an increasing number of patients battling potentially deadly superbugs, on compassionate grounds.
“They are patients with severe bacterial infections that are either life-threatening, or limb threatening, or function threatening, where they don’t have any other options left,” Peleg said. “It is a salvage treatment pathway.”
However, global interest in the therapy was reawakened recently by the rise of superbugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics.
“We desperately need novel approaches to attack superbugs, approaches that are different to existing traditional antibiotics,” Peleg said.
Increasingly, phages are now being seen by some scientists as a potential complement or even an alternative to antibiotics, the overuse of which has contributed to increasing bacterial resistance and the advent of the superbug.
The Alfred’s phage therapy program began at the end of last year in partnership with Monash University’s Centre to Impact AMR (antimicrobial resistance), and has already been used to treat people who are severely ill with antibiotic-resistant infections, including patients with cystic fibrosis, who have endured years of chronic lung infections.
Others being referred to the program include those with drug-resistant prosthetic joint or limb infections and severe burn wounds.
“We recently received another referral for a woman with a recurrent urinary tract infection with terribly resistant bacteria,” Peleg said.
According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistance is a rising threat to global health, jeopardising decades of medical progress and transforming common infections into deadly ones. A UN report suggests yearly deaths from drug-resistant diseases could rise from 700,000 to 10 million in 30 years if no action is taken.
Phage therapy, which is most commonly provided intravenously, can be required for several months. Peleg said patients at The Alfred undergoing the treatment were monitored closely to evaluate the activity of the phage in their bodies.
Peleg said the treatment depended on accurate diagnosis of the bacterial strain causing infection and the phage required to fight it. With billions of different bacteria killing viruses in our natural environment – found in river systems, soil and sewage – sourcing the appropriate phage can be difficult.
To speed up this process, Peleg and his team spent the past four years collecting the most common bacteria that have caused infections at The Alfred. Among them is Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, also known as golden staph and pseudomonas.
The hospital also has an onsite translational phage lab, where staff scour environmental sources, identify phages, then test their activity with a combination of antibiotics. The phages are then produced and packaged into vials by an expert team at Monash University.
“We’ve been storing the most common bacteria causing infection at The Alfred and are looking for phage that have killing activity against those bacteria to develop a phage biobank,” Peleg said. “This allows us to have a cocktail of multiple phages, prepared to use for future patients with bacterial infections.”
He said phage therapy was gaining traction in Australia, with teams in Melbourne and Western Australia treating their first patients recently.
But Iredell said a lack of robust data and large-scale clinical studies had hindered advancements and understanding. In Australia, the treatment is still deemed experimental and is awaiting approval by the Therapeutics Goods Administration.
“It’s our job to be sceptical, and we have to make sure this is safe, but all the data suggests so far that it is safe when it is used properly and the phage is made properly,” Iredell said.
Australians wanting the treatment must fit strict eligibility criteria, including being referred to an infectious disease specialist, who can certify they are already using the appropriate treatment and more was needed.
Iredell and Peleg are part of a group of doctors working to develop a regulatory framework to use phage therapy nationally in the hope it will pave the way for big clinical studies in Australian hospitals.
Experimental cases overseas, including two patients in the US who recovered from intractable infections after being treated with genetically engineered bacteria-killing viruses.
In 2019, a teenager in the UK also made a remarkable recovery after being among the first patients in the world to be given a genetically engineered virus to treat a drug-resistant infection.
“All of us in the phage community often joke for every bacterial problem there is a phage solution because they’re the natural predators and since before humans evolved,” Iredell said. “Antibiotic resistant infections are one of the greatest risks to modern health infrastructure, and we need to act now.”
News
Scientists Are Pretty Close to Replicating the First Thing That Ever Lived
For 400 million years, a leading hypothesis claims, Earth was an “RNA World,” meaning that life must’ve first replicated from RNA before the arrival of proteins and DNA. Unfortunately, scientists have failed to find [...]
Why ‘Peniaphobia’ Is Exploding Among Young People (And Why We Should Be Concerned)
An insidious illness is taking hold among a growing proportion of young people. Little known to the general public, peniaphobia—the fear of becoming poor—is gaining ground among teens and young adults. Discover the causes [...]
Team finds flawed data in recent study relevant to coronavirus antiviral development
The COVID pandemic illustrated how urgently we need antiviral medications capable of treating coronavirus infections. To aid this effort, researchers quickly homed in on part of SARS-CoV-2's molecular structure known as the NiRAN domain—an [...]
Drug-Coated Neural Implants Reduce Immune Rejection
Summary: A new study shows that coating neural prosthetic implants with the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone helps reduce the body’s immune response and scar tissue formation. This strategy enhances the long-term performance and stability of electrodes [...]
Scientists discover cancer-fighting bacteria that ‘soak up’ forever chemicals in the body
A family of healthy bacteria may help 'soak up' toxic forever chemicals in the body, warding off their cancerous effects. Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), are toxic chemicals that [...]
Johns Hopkins Researchers Uncover a New Way To Kill Cancer Cells
A new study reveals that blocking ribosomal RNA production rewires cancer cell behavior and could help treat genetically unstable tumors. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular [...]
AI matches doctors in mapping lung tumors for radiation therapy
In radiation therapy, precision can save lives. Oncologists must carefully map the size and location of a tumor before delivering high-dose radiation to destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. But this process, called [...]
Scientists Finally “See” Key Protein That Controls Inflammation
Researchers used advanced microscopy to uncover important protein structures. For the first time, two important protein structures in the human body are being visualized, thanks in part to cutting-edge technology at the University of [...]
AI tool detects 9 types of dementia from a single brain scan
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians identify brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, using a single, widely available scan—a transformative [...]
Is plastic packaging putting more than just food on your plate?
New research reveals that common food packaging and utensils can shed microscopic plastics into our food, prompting urgent calls for stricter testing and updated regulations to protect public health. Beyond microplastics: The analysis intentionally [...]
Aging Spreads Through the Bloodstream
Summary: New research reveals that aging isn’t just a local cellular process—it can spread throughout the body via the bloodstream. A redox-sensitive protein called ReHMGB1, secreted by senescent cells, was found to trigger aging features [...]
AI and nanomedicine find rare biomarkers for prostrate cancer and atherosclerosis
Imagine a stadium packed with 75,000 fans, all wearing green and white jerseys—except one person in a solid green shirt. Finding that person would be tough. That's how hard it is for scientists to [...]
Are Pesticides Breeding the Next Pandemic? Experts Warn of Fungal Superbugs
Fungicides used in agriculture have been linked to an increase in resistance to antifungal drugs in both humans and animals. Fungal infections are on the rise, and two UC Davis infectious disease experts, Dr. George Thompson [...]
Scientists Crack the 500-Million-Year-Old Code That Controls Your Immune System
A collaborative team from Penn Medicine and Penn Engineering has uncovered the mathematical principles behind a 500-million-year-old protein network that determines whether foreign materials are recognized as friend or foe. How does your body [...]
Team discovers how tiny parts of cells stay organized, new insights for blocking cancer growth
A team of international researchers led by scientists at City of Hope provides the most thorough account yet of an elusive target for cancer treatment. Published in Science Advances, the study suggests a complex signaling [...]
Nanomaterials in Ophthalmology: A Review
Eye diseases are becoming more common. In 2020, over 250 million people had mild vision problems, and 295 million experienced moderate to severe ocular conditions. In response, researchers are turning to nanotechnology and nanomaterials—tools that are transforming [...]
