Researchers make progress on 'superhero' phage therapy

Last year’s Impact Report featured the paradigm-shifting work under way to tackle antibiotic-resistant superbugs affecting children with lung conditions like cystic fibrosis, with researchers working to harness the power of a naturally-occurring virus – bacteriophage, or phage – to prey on and kill problematic bacteria. A year later, the therapy has been extended to people with severe lung infections on a compassionate basis, and the team is working towards manufacturing phages for wider use.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) researchers are working hard to progress phage therapy as an alternative treatment to antibiotics in people with CF who develop life-threatening lung infections.

Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre Associate Professor Anthony Kicic, also of Curtin University, and his team are leading the WA arm of the Phage Australia Project – a national research project looking at how bacteriophage can be used to treat a range of antibiotic-resistance bacteria that cause serious infections.

This work is especially relevant in respiratory disease because bacteria, such as pseudomonas and staphylococcus, which cause severe lung infections can become resistant to antibiotics. Severe lung infections contribute to the progression of lung disease in chronic conditions such as CF.

Associate Professor Kicic’s team has identified more than 2,500 bacteriophages effective at killing common strains of bacteria, which cause severe lung infections in people with CF.

This year, the team obtained national ethics approval to treat people with CF who have very severe infections, on a compassionate basis. They have since responded to two calls for help to treat people with CF who have severe lung infections that are no longer responding to antibiotics.

Associate Professor Kicic said phage treatment was a highly precise type of medication delivery, where his team effectively played matchmaker in the lab – finding the best cocktail of bacteriophages against the specific strain of bacteria the patient has.

“The team has identified several phages from our collection that are very active at targeting the bacteria in question,” Associate Professor Kicic said.

“The next step is to produce these in bigger volumes and appropriate formulations so they can be safely used to treat people.”

Since obtaining ethics approval for compassionate use, the team has been busy working toward obtaining approvals and funding to establish a small-scale phage manufacturing facility here in WA.

“This fit-for-purpose service will supply phage to treat local patients who are suffering from severe antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections,” Associate Professor Kicic said.

“Beyond this, when phage therapy is approved as standard care, we will need to mass produce phages and so a much larger, specialised manufacturing facility will be needed.

“Currently this is done overseas and the turnaround time can be up to a couple of months – time that kids with limited options don’t have.”