Biotechnological exploitation of bacteriophage research

The experimentally amenable nature of phage and their use in testing fundamental biological questions have meant that phage research has had a profound effect on modern molecular biology. Phage research has also fuelled multiple biotechnological developments. For example, phage display has recently been harnessed in a multidisciplinary approach for the generation of novel nanotechnologies. In addition, with the emerging threat of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, phage have begun to provide technologies to combat these problems. Finally, recent data acquired from genome sequencing and advances in phage biology research have aided the development of phage-derived bacterial detection and treatment strategies in addition to methods to control the detrimental effects of phage in industry. Here, we examine the promising uses of phage in these important areas of biotechnology.