Phage Therapy: Breakthroughs and Challenges
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 98
Special Issue Editors
Interests: phage therapy; chronic lung diseases; viromes; microbial ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In 2021, 4.71 million global deaths were associated with infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, and this toll is projected to rise to 8.22 million if the spread of AMR bacteria is not curtailed. Bacteriophages (phages)—viruses that infect bacteria—offer a viable alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, including AMR strains. Discovered over a century ago, phages have accumulated substantial experimental and clinical evidence supporting their therapeutic potential in human and veterinary medicine.
The molecular properties of phages are pivotal for therapy, as they determine host specificity, lifecycle, and safety. Techniques like genomic sequencing and structural analysis are used to identify whether a phage is strictly lytic or lysogenic, ensuring only effective and safe phages are employed. Understanding surface proteins and genome content helps select phages that target specific bacteria without transferring harmful genes or elicit a robust immune response. This molecular insight enables the engineering of phages with enhanced stability, effectiveness, and safety, making them valuable tools in fighting bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics.
This Special Issue of IJMS focuses on the molecular properties of phages—from genomic architecture and structural features to protein function—and how these attributes are leveraged in phage therapy.
Dr. Spyridon Megremis
Dr. Anisha Mahendra Thanki
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- phage therapy
- phage production
- phage engineering
- phage genomics
- phage evolution
- phage structural biology
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