Phages for Phage Therapy

• Grant number: 25/22363-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Shaker Chuck Farah
• Grantee: Ariosvaldo Pereira dos Santos Junior
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10577-0 - Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Persistent and resistant bacterial infections represent one of the greatest challenges in modern medicine. Conventional treatment relies on the use of antibiotics, which, in addition to posing a risk of adverse effects and potential toxicity to patients-especially due to the persistent nature the disease can assume-have become increasingly ineffective, particularly in the face of the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Numerous alternatives to the use of these compounds have been proposed in recent decades, including the use of lytic bacteriophages (phages), which are viruses that exclusively attack and kill bacteria. The therapeutic use of phages has emerged as an effective alternative with low occurrence of side effects, both in veterinary and human medicine. In recent years, interest in the use of phage therapy has been renewed as a promising strategy for the biological control of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB). Hospitals aiming to help all patients with hard-to-treat infections urgently need suitable phage preparations for application. The objective of this proposal is the creation and implementation of "Brasil Magistral para Fagoterapia" ("Magistral Brazil for Phage Therapy"), a systematic protocol that will establish specific parameters for phage-based preparations aimed at compassionate use in patients with resistant infections caused by MDRB. This project will be carried out in collaboration with physicians from Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo, ensuring access to relevant clinical strains and the development of a pipeline that includes optimized phage isolation, purification, microbiological characterization, and the delivery of qualified preparations for clinical use.