Phage-Based Vaccines

Structural model of Catholic University’s COVID vaccine showing the SARS-CoV-2 viral components incorporated into T4 bacteriophage. Credit: Victor Padilla Sanchez, Ph.D.

Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that specifically infect bacterial cells. Phages are proven, powerful tools to treat multidrug antibiotic resistant infections. But their medical utility could go even further. A few research groups and biotech companies are exploring the potential of phages in vaccine development. And when the COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenging, new target, some researchers were ready to put phages into action.

Read my latest story for IEEE Pulse magazine: Leveraging Bacteriophages for Vaccine Development.