Phage Display—Perspectives and Translational Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Thirty-four years after the first description of phage display technology, George Smith, its inventor, has been awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry. In these intervening years, we have observed an explosion in the application of this technology, which is generating renewed interests for translational usage. Filamentous bacteriophages combine a particulate nature with adjuvant properties and thus may represent an ideal nanoparticle for medical applications. In recent years, it has been proposed for drug targeting and has attracted great interest for its potential immunotherapeutic formulations. However, much research is needed before bacteriophage can be realized as a device ready off the shelf for human therapy or prophylaxis and such usage faces substantial challenges. Most of the research has been performed so far in academic laboratories, with little emphasis on patenting. Moreover, a major obstacle to the therapeutic use of bacteriophages is their characteristic of being “living” organisms, able to interact with the endogenous microbiome, with unpredictable outcomes at this stage of knowledge.

The aim of this Special Issue is to update recent knowledge on the use of filamentous bacteriophages and provide a platform for scientists working in the field.

This proposed issue is open to receive manuscripts on the following topics:

(1) Basic insights: phage display vehicles, expression, screening, and strategies for affinity evolution

(2) Practicalities, patenting, and safety issues

(3) Use for drug targeting, diagnostic strategies, and immunotherapeutic formulations

Dr. Piergiuseppe De Berardinis
Guest Editor

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