Saturday, August 9, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Biology

Dartmouth-led study provides new insights into phage therapy design

May 15, 2024
in Biology
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Dartmouth-led study provides new insights into phage therapy design
66
SHARES
604
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Results from a new Dartmouth-led study, involving collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University and published in the journal PLOS Biology, are providing new insights into the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage (phage) therapy for treating diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF). 

Results from a new Dartmouth-led study, involving collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University and published in the journal PLOS Biology, are providing new insights into the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage (phage) therapy for treating diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF). 

 

A major challenge of treating people with CF—an inherited disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in the lungs—are the persistent infections the disease causes which can lead to respiratory failure and death. 

 

“Opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the pathogens associated with the most lung function decline in CF, have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, so we have to be creative with new ways to think about treating these infections,” explains Jennifer Bomberger, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, who served as senior author on the study.

 

“Developed many decades ago, phage therapy has seen success in Eastern Europe as an antimicrobial for difficult-to-treat infections and is increasingly being used in clinical trials and compassionate use cases through Emergency Use Authorizations in the U.S.,” says Paula Zamora, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at Geisel and first author on the study.

 

One of the advantages of phage therapy, which uses viruses to kill bacteria, “is that unlike antibiotics which need to be given repeatedly, it has this mechanism of self-amplification,” Zamora continues. “Phages are able to replicate by binding to bacteria and injecting their genetic material—as phages make more phages, they kill more bacteria.” 

 

While phage therapy is thought to be relatively safe with few side effects, key gaps in knowledge related to the interactions between phages and the epithelial cells of the human respiratory tract remain. 

 

“Since very high doses of phages are often needed to elicit a therapeutic effect, we wondered, ‘Do the host cells detect these phages, and do they create an inflammatory response that we should be concerned about?’” says Bomberger. 

 

To find out, the investigators teamed up with researchers at Pitt and Yale, 

examining interactions between a panel of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages with therapeutic potential and human airway epithelial cells derived from a person with CF and grown in cell lines in the lab. 

 

They determined that respiratory epithelial cells do sense and respond to therapeutic phages, and that interactions between phages and epithelial cells are heterogenous in nature—in that they are dependent on specific phage properties, as well as physiochemical features of the airway microenvironment. 

 

“Our research also indicates that immune responses to phages could be harnessed to improve the effectiveness of phage therapy on an individual basis,” Zamora says. “We hope that our findings will lead to more studies that examine the effects that phages have on the human host.”

 

Considering that the effects of phages on human cells are not currently required to be evaluated as part of phage therapy design, Bomberger adds, “Our suggestion is, as people are screening phages for killing bacteria, they might also want to know what types of immune responses those phages could elicit in the host and let that play into their calculus when picking which phage to treat a patient with.”

 

Founded in 1797, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth strives to improve the lives of the communities it serves through excellence in learning, discovery, and healing. The Geisel School of Medicine is renowned for its leadership in medical education, healthcare policy and delivery science, biomedical research, global health, and in creating innovations that improve lives worldwide. As one of America’s leading medical schools, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine is committed to training new generations of diverse leaders who will help solve our most vexing challenges in healthcare.

 

# # #

 



Journal

PLoS Biology

DOI

10.1371/journal.pbio.3002566

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Lytic bacteriophages induce the secretion of antiviral and proinflammatory cytokines from human respiratory epithelial cells

Article Publication Date

23-Apr-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

This time, it’s personal: Enhancing patient response to cancer immunotherapy

Next Post

ReMDO Unveils Regulatory NavigatOR: A Guide through the Regenerative Medicine Regulatory Landscape

Related Posts

blank
Biology

Scientists Discover Novel Mechanism Behind Cellular Tolerance to Anticancer Drugs

August 9, 2025
blank
Biology

Onchocerca ochengi Infection Impacts Gerbil Behavior, Physiology

August 9, 2025
blank
Biology

Decoding Finch Louse Fly Morphotypes: Taxonomy Insight

August 9, 2025
blank
Biology

How Immune Cells Flip the Switch to Launch an Attack

August 9, 2025
blank
Biology

Molecular Study and Risks of Hepatozoon Canis in Haryana Dogs

August 8, 2025
blank
Biology

Unraveling the Nuclear Phosphoinositide-p53 Signalosome: A Key Regulator of Cell Motility

August 8, 2025
Next Post
ReMDO Unveils Regulatory NavigatOR: A Guide through the Regenerative Medicine Regulatory Landscape

ReMDO Unveils Regulatory NavigatOR: A Guide through the Regenerative Medicine Regulatory Landscape

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27531 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    943 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    507 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Plant Bioactives Trigger ROS-Driven Cancer Cell Death
  • Pocillopora Hosts: Thriving in Harsh Environments
  • COVID-19 Impact on Asset Allocation Performance Explored
  • Vaccine Targeting Abp2D Shields Against Catheter UTIs

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,860 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading