New Batch Registration: 25-June & 5-July 2025 Advance GS Course/ Mains Test Series / Mains Current Affairs Registration: 25th June 2025
+91 8988885050, 8988886060
It has come to our attention that certain coaching centers are misusing names similar to ours, such as Vajirao or Bajirao, in an attempt to mislead and attract students/parents. Please be informed that we have no association with these fake institutes and legal proceedings have already been initiated against them before the Hon'ble Delhi High Court. We urge students and parents to stay vigilant and let us know in case they are approached by such fake institutes.

Using Bacteriophages To Combat Antimicrobial Resistance from Vajirao & Reddy Institute

By : Author Desk Updated : 2025-06-13 15:58:32

USING BACTERIOPHAGES TO COMBAT ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health crisis causing millions of deaths every year.
  • As traditional antibiotics lose their power and drug development stalls, scientists are turning to a surprising alternative: bacteriophages — viruses that naturally kill bacteria.
  • This promising approach is gaining attention worldwide as a potential solution to AMR.
WHAT IS AMR? AMR happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites change and stop responding to medicines. This makes infections harder to treat, spreading disease more easily and increasing the risk of severe illness and death.
  • The Scale of the Problem: Around 5 million deaths each year are linked to AMR, and this number could double by 2050.
  • Because it spreads quietly and steadily, AMR is called a “silent pandemic.”
  • Consequences: AMR leads to failed treatments, longer sickness, higher healthcare costs, and more deaths as common infections become untreatable.
WHY AREN'T NEW ANTIBIOTICS BEING DEVELOPED?
  • Low Profit: Antibiotics are usually taken for a short time, making them less profitable compared to drugs for chronic diseases like cancer.
  • Resistance Risks: New antibiotics are used sparingly to avoid fast resistance, which lowers demand.
  • Insufficient Research: Efforts to develop new drugs aren’t keeping pace with the growing resistance problem.
WHAT ARE BACTERIOPHAGES? Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They’re everywhere — in water, soil, and even inside our bodies. In fact, there are ten times more phages than bacteria on Earth!
  • History: Phages were studied as treatments about 100 years ago but were overshadowed by antibiotics.
  • However, countries in the former Soviet Union continued to use phage therapy when antibiotics were scarce.
  • Current Revival: With the rise of AMR, many countries are now rediscovering phages.
  • They’ve been used to treat infections like burns, ulcers, gut infections, respiratory diseases, and urinary tract infections.
HOW DOES PHAGE THERAPY WORK? Two Main Approaches:
  • Natural Phages (Personalized Treatment):
    • The patient’s bacterial infection is isolated.
    • Scientists test different phages to find one that kills the bacteria.
    • That phage is grown in large amounts and given to the patient. This is a highly personalized approach, similar to precision medicine.
  • Genetically Engineered Phages:
    • Phages are modified in labs to target more types of bacteria or be more effective.
UNIQUE FEATURES & CHALLENGE OF PHAGE THERAPY
  • An Evolving Treatment: Bacteria can become resistant to phages, but phages can also evolve to overcome this resistance. This makes phage therapy a “living” treatment that changes over time.
  • Regulatory Difficulties: Traditional drug approval processes don’t work well for treatments that evolve. This is a major challenge for regulators.
  • High Specificity: Phages target specific bacteria strains, unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics. This makes it hard to run typical clinical trials, which require testing one drug on many similar patients.
HOW TO ACCESS PHAGE THERAPY? Due to the urgent need for new treatments, some countries have special programs to allow phage use before full approval:
  • Compassionate Use or Emergency Access: For critically ill patients who have no other options.
  • Magistral Route (e.g., Belgium): Pharmacies prepare personalized phage treatments under medical supervision.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE: THE DEVICE APPROACH Researchers in Belgium, led by Jean-Paul Pirnay, are developing an innovative solution to overcome regulatory issues:
  • An Integrated Device That Can:
    • Isolate the patient’s bacteria.
    • Sequence its genetic code.
    • Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to select the best phage.
    • Produce that phage on-site
    • Deliver it immediately to the patient.
  • Regulatory Benefit: Instead of regulating the phage as a drug, the device would be regulated like a medical instrument, making approval simpler.
  • Why It Matters: This approach could allow fast, personalized, on-demand phage treatments anywhere, offering a powerful tool against AMR.
  Note: Connect with Vajirao & Reddy Institute to keep yourself updated with latest UPSC Current Affairs in English. Note: We upload Current Affairs Except Sunday.