Viruses that Heal

(University of Zurich, November 13, 2020)

Despite the fact that bacterial infections continue to be one of the most challenging health problems and impose a tremendous burden on our health care system, the common treatment approach still consists of administrating antibiotics, which causes adverse medical and socioeconomic effects, including the development of antibiotic resistance and the disruption of the normal microbiome. Therefore, eight research groups of the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, and Balgrist University Hospital recently joined forces to develop a fundamentally new therapeutic option in the context of the "ImmunoPhage" project. The aim is to equip bacteriophages – highly specialized viruses that attack and destroy bacteria – with elements that specifically support immune defenses in order to develop a generalizable, sustainable and tailored approach for the treatment of bacterial infections, and potentially also inflammatory diseases.