Genomic insights into bacteriophages: a new frontier in AMR detection and phage therapy

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Therapeutics

Background:

• Antibiotic misuse and overprescription accelerate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), creating significant clinical challenges and a potential pandemic.
• Conventional treatments are becoming less effective against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens.
• Bacteriophages (phages) have a long history of combating bacterial infections, offering renewed hope for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of phages in combating superbugs by examining their genomic and transcriptomic landscape in relation to their bacterial hosts.
• To highlight the role of phage genomics and holo-transcriptomics in identifying new phages, AMR genes, and understanding phage-host interactions.
• To investigate the application of holo-transcriptomic profiling in identifying disease-specific phages and AMR-bacteria in contexts like COVID-19, Dengue, and ESKAPE pathogens.

Main Methods:

• Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts.
• Holo-transcriptomic profiling to capture phage, bacterial, and host transcripts simultaneously.
• Investigating phage-host interactions and defense mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Advances in bacteriophage genomics accelerate the discovery of new phages and AMR genes.
• Holo-transcriptomic studies reveal disease and context-specific transcriptionally active phages.
• Simultaneous transcript capture enhances comprehension of bacteriophage dynamics and phage-host interactions.

Conclusions:

• Bacteriophage therapy presents a viable alternative to antibiotics for treating MDR pathogens.
• Understanding phage-host interactions through genomic and transcriptomic data is crucial for advancing phage therapy.
• Phage therapy holds significant potential for augmenting bacterial control in clinical settings and combating the AMR crisis.