Brandon A Berryhill, Teresa Gil-Gil, Andrew P Smith, Bruce R Levin
{"title":"The future of phage therapy in the USA.","authors":"Brandon A Berryhill, Teresa Gil-Gil, Andrew P Smith, Bruce R Levin","doi":"10.1016/j.molmed.2025.03.013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fueled by the increasing abundance of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, there has been a resurrection in the use of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or 'phage') for therapeutic applications. Phage therapy was used in the early 20th century to limited success, which we attribute to its haphazard employment. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, this Opinion first evaluates the historical reasons for the failure of phage therapy, analyzes the current state of the field, and ultimately makes recommendations for how to proceed with contemporary phage therapy. Despite many advances in phage biology, crucial gaps in our knowledge persist. Our recommendations require physicians, scientists, and public-policy leaders to cooperate to bridge the outstanding gaps around phage therapy to develop phage into a useful therapeutic tool.</p>","PeriodicalId":23263,"journal":{"name":"Trends in molecular medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in molecular medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2025.03.013","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Fueled by the increasing abundance of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, there has been a resurrection in the use of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or 'phage') for therapeutic applications. Phage therapy was used in the early 20th century to limited success, which we attribute to its haphazard employment. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, this Opinion first evaluates the historical reasons for the failure of phage therapy, analyzes the current state of the field, and ultimately makes recommendations for how to proceed with contemporary phage therapy. Despite many advances in phage biology, crucial gaps in our knowledge persist. Our recommendations require physicians, scientists, and public-policy leaders to cooperate to bridge the outstanding gaps around phage therapy to develop phage into a useful therapeutic tool.
期刊介绍：
Trends in Molecular Medicine (TMM) aims to offer concise and contextualized perspectives on the latest research advancing biomedical science toward better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human diseases. It focuses on research at the intersection of basic biology and clinical research, covering new concepts in human biology and pathology with clear implications for diagnostics and therapy. TMM reviews bridge the gap between bench and bedside, discussing research from preclinical studies to patient-enrolled trials. The major themes include disease mechanisms, tools and technologies, diagnostics, and therapeutics, with a preference for articles relevant to multiple themes. TMM serves as a platform for discussion, pushing traditional boundaries and fostering collaboration between scientists and clinicians. The journal seeks to publish provocative and authoritative articles that are also accessible to a broad audience, inspiring new directions in molecular medicine to enhance human health.
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