Bacteriophage

Bacteriophages (phages) have been minimally used in emergency clinical applications for skin and soft tissue infections and disseminated bacterial infections, but not to-date as an aerosol strategy against pulmonary mycobacteria. One limitation in the field preventing these advancements is the availability of a reproducible preclinical model of aerosol phage delivery that can be leveraged for efficacy testing. Importantly, our preliminary proof-of-concept results¹ (read the paper) suggest that aerosol delivery of phage to mice can significantly reduce bacterial burden after challenge with M.tb. 

Our lab is actively collaborating to develop reproducible aerosol models of delivery and answer longstanding biological questions about phage treatment in vivo. This includes basic host immunological outcomes of repeated phage treatment, route of delivery and pharmacodynamics/kinetics. This work is done extensively in partnership with the Hatfull Lab at the University of Pittsburg, and has been supported through NIAID grant funding.

1. Carrigy NB, Larsen SE, Reese V, Pecor T, Harrison M, Kuehl PJ, Hatfull GF, Sauvageau D, Baldwin SL, Finlay WH, Coler RN, Vehring R. Prophylaxis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv Infection in a Preclinical Mouse Model via Inhalation of Nebulized Bacteriophage D29. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2019 Sep 16;63(12):e00871-19. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00871-19. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 31527037; PMCID: PMC6879268.