Cell's first result: no harm to beneficial intestinal bacteria, precise inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms

The myriad of microbes in our gut are collectively known as the microbiome, and they are considered important to our health, but they can also breed bacteria

In a study published in the journal Cell, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science demonstrated the feasibility of a potential therapy that could targetedly kill gut bacteria that cause inflammation: using the virus that infects

These viruses, called bacteriophages or bacteriophages, are the most abundant organisms on Earth; Wherever there are bacteria, they will be found, including the human gut

"There are thousands of different phages, and their biggest advantage is that each phage specifically attacks a different type of bacteria, which allows us to take advantage of bacteriophages and target only those gut bacteria

The study was conducted in collaboration with Professor Rotem Sorek of Weizmann's Department of Molecular Genetics and was led

The scientists first identified the exact strains

Next, the researchers screened thousands of phages and selected about 40 of the most active phages of the human bacterial strains they identified as associated with intestinal inflammation

In laboratory dishes, the cocktail was shown to be effective in killing Klebsiella pneumoniae

If a bacteriophage cocktail is found to be safe and effective in large clinical trials, it could form the basis for developing treatments not only for inflammatory bowel disease, but also for other diseases found to be affected by gut microbes, including obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and possibly even cancer

"Our vision is to eventually develop personalized therapies for a variety of diseases in which the strains of pathogenic gut bacteria in each patient's body will be identified and a bacteriophage cocktail designed will kill only those strains

Original title:

Targeted suppression of human IBD-associated gut microbiota commensals by phage consortia for treatment of intestinal inflammation