Israeli scientists create 'precision weapon' that contains viruses that destroy bowel-damaging bacteria
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Israeliscientists create 'precision weapon' that contains viruses that destroybowel-damaging bacteria
Israeli researchers are aiming to create a "precisionweapon" made from bacteria-fighting viruses to combat intestinaldiseases. Phase 1 clinical studies of two different virus "cocktails"have been conducted; Preliminary findings suggest that they are safe, and invitro and animal testing sufficiently shows that they are antibacterial.
According to peer-reviewed research published in the journal Cell, thevirus significantly reduced the amount of Klebsiella pneumoniae, abacterium that is prevalent in the stomachs of people with Crohn's disease andulcerative colitis. Phage therapy, also known as bacteriophage therapy, is nota recent concept and was the subject of extensive research in the early 20thcentury.
Antibiotics were developed, and efforts to employ the virusin clinical settings were abandoned before any notable achievement, butresearchers continued to use the phages in experimental settings. Interest inpotential phage therapeutics has recently increased, due to concerns aboutmicrobes that are resistant to antibiotics.
Although none of the phage treatments are in common use, someresearchers speculate that they may offer a solution to the issue.Researcherslooked into the microbiomes of people with Crohn's disease and ulcerativecolitis to determine which bacteria would be beneficial to fight as part of theWeizmann study. Phages will now undergo more clinical testing todetermine whether they can fight bacteria and improve health in a practicalenvironment.
The Weizmann researchers want to turn them into drugs thateither treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis or perhaps even stop themin people who are believed to have high levels of Klebsiella pneumoniae.