Phage-layer interferometry: a companion diagnostic for phage therapy and a bacterial testing platform

The continuing and rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance (AMR) calls for innovations in antimicrobial therapies. A promising, 're-emerging' approach is the application of bacteriophage viruses to selectively infect and kill pathogenic bacteria, referred to as phage therapy. In practice, phage therapy is personalized and requires companion diagnostics to identify efficacious phages, which are then formulated into a therapeutic cocktail. The predominant means for phage screening involves optical-based assays, but these methods cannot be carried out in complex media, such as colored solutions, inhomogeneous mixtures, or high-viscosity samples, which are often conditions encountered in vivo. Moreover, these assays cannot distinguish phage binding and lysis parameters, which are important for standardizing phage cocktail formulation. To address these challenges, we developed Phage-layer Interferometry (PLI) as a companion diagnostic. Herein, PLI is assessed as a quantitative phage screening method and prototyped as a bacterial detection platform. Importantly, PLI is amenable to automation and is functional in complex, opaque media, such as baby formula. Due to these newfound capabilities, we foresee immediate and broad impact of PLI for combating AMR and protecting against foodborne illnesses.