Developing the next generation of anti-staphylococci bacteriophage-based biomaterials – PHAGERIALS

The usual treatments of infectious diseases with antibiotics are facing more and more frequent failures due to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. In this context, phage therapy, or the therapeutic use of bacterial viruses, called bacteriophages or phages, to fight infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a promising therapeutic approach. However, before it can be implemented on a medium to large scale, this approach requires further development in terms of ease and modality of administration, safety and efficacy. Focusing on Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, two staphylococcal species of nosocomial and zoonotic interest, PHAGERIALS aims to develop phage-loaded antibacterial coatings by i) streamlining the selection of phages to limit the induced spread of antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity genes, while using viruses with a broad spectrum of target bacteria and, ii) developing dedicated biocompatible coatings, antibacterial by themselves, which can be easily applied on a surface or a wound, loaded with a high amount of viruses while preserving their viability as long as possible, and releasing them on purpose, in this case, during skin infections. After being developed, the phage-loaded coatings will be finally tested using a skin infection model using mice.