Bacteriophage News and Research

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Bacteriophages are small, virus-like organisms that infect bacteria. They are comprised of a protein capsule around an RNA or DNA genome.

Scientists discover structure and operating procedures of anti-bacterial killing machine

Scientists have discovered the structure and operating procedures of a powerful anti-bacterial killing machine that could become an alternative to antibiotics.

25 Jul 2012

Researchers demonstrate power of single-molecule sequencing

The next "next-gen" technology in genome sequencing has gotten a major boost.

2 Jul 2012

RapidChek- SELECT Salmonella highly sensitive to the presence of S. Typhi vaccine in stool

Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) is the causative agent of typhoid fever, a serious health threat resulting in some 22 million new cases yearly and approximately 217,000 fatalities. A number of novel vaccine candidates using live attenuated strains of Salmonella are being developed, but care must be taken to ensure the bacteria are not excreted into the environment following vaccination.

29 Jun 2012

Lime juice and solar disinfection improve quality of drinking water

Looking for an inexpensive and effective way to quickly improve the quality of your drinking water? According to a team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, sunlight and a twist of lime might do the trick.

18 Apr 2012

Bacteriophages can tackle drug-resistant bacterial infections

Viruses that can target and destroy bacteria have the potential to be an effective strategy for tackling hard-to-treat bacterial infections. The development of such novel therapies is being accelerated in response to growing antibiotic resistance, says Dr David Harper at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

26 Mar 2012

Study identifies new hypervariable regions in human gut viruses

A growing body of evidence underscores the importance of human gut bacteria in modulating human health, metabolism, and disease. Yet bacteria are only part of the story. Viruses that infect those bacteria also shape who we are. Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, led a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that sequenced the DNA of viruses -- the virome -- present in the gut of healthy people.

20 Mar 2012

New lab test quickly identifies bacterium responsible for staph infections

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a new laboratory test that can rapidly identify the bacterium responsible for staph infections. This new test takes advantage of unique isotopic labeling combined with specific bacteriophage amplification to rapidly identify Staphylococcus aureus.

13 Jan 2012

Study reveals previously unseen details of SBP8a anthrax bacteriophage

A new study has shown previously unseen details of an anthrax bacteriophage - a virus that infects anthrax bacteria - revealing for the first time how it infects its host, and providing an initial blueprint for how the phage might someday be modified into a tool for the detection and destruction of anthrax and other potential bioterror agents.

6 Dec 2011

Omnilytics announces final EPA registration for AgriPhage-CMM bacterial control product

OmniLytics, Inc., a biotech company focused on developing safe and natural solutions for bacterial control, today announced final EPA registration for its AgriPhage-CMM bacterial control product.

1 Nov 2011

Intralytix obtains FDA, FSIS regulatory clearance for bacteriophage-based product against E. coli

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has completed regulatory clearance from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for its phage-based EcoShield food safety product, effective against E. coli O157:H7.

15 Jun 2011

New approach for identifying 'self' proteins targeted in autoimmune diseases

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and MIT have developed a new approach for identifying the "self" proteins targeted in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

3 Jun 2011

Research solves challenging problem of industry-scale production of large RNA molecules

Nanotechnology researchers have known for years that RNA, the cousin of DNA, is a promising tool for nanotherapy, in which therapeutic agents can be delivered inside the body via nanoparticles. But the difficulties of producing long-lasting, therapeutic RNA that remains stable and non-toxic while entering targeted cells have posed challenges for their progress.

22 Apr 2011

FDA clears Intralytix phage-based EcoShield food safety product

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has received regulatory clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its phage-based EcoShield food safety product, effective against E. coli O157:H7.

16 Mar 2011

Fixed Phage to develop products based on Strathclyde's technology for tackling infections

A new company has been launched to commercialise an award-winning technology, developed at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, for tackling bacterial infection and contamination, including superbugs such as MRSA.

25 Jan 2011

Findings could speed use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease

Scientists are reporting an advance in overcoming a major barrier to the use of the genetic material RNA in nanotechnology - the field that involves building machines thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair and now is dominated by its cousin, DNA. Their findings, which could speed the use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease, appear in the monthly journal ACS Nano.

20 Jan 2011

Targeted Genetics acquires Biocontrol

Targeted Genetics Corporation, today announced the completion of the acquisition of Biocontrol Limited.

7 Jan 2011

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

17 Dec 2010

Targeted Genetics enters definitive agreements to acquire Biocontrol

Targeted Genetics Corporation, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements related to the acquisition of Biocontrol Limited, or Biocontrol.

12 Nov 2010

Experts at ICB-2010 Conference to discuss new research findings in biotherapy

The 8th International Conference on Biotherapy (ICB-2010) will be held in Los Angeles, November 11-14, 2010, at the Universal Los Angeles Hilton. It is the single most important meeting for sharing new clinical and research findings in biotherapy (living organisms used to treat or diagnose illness).

30 Oct 2010

MicroPhage seeks FDA clearance for MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test, submits clinical study data

MicroPhage announced that it has submitted human data from a pivotal clinical study of its ‘Microphage MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test’ to support a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) premarket notification process. The first of MicroPhage’s instrument-free, rapid tests is based on the Company’s patented Bacteriophage Amplification platform technology. MicroPhage further announced that it has already begun OUS commercial shipments of the test.

5 Mar 2010