Paving the way for phage therapy using novel drug delivery approaches
Thomas Briot, Camille Kolenda, Tristan Ferry, Mathieu Médina, Frédéric Laurent, Gilles Leboucher, Fabrice Pirot
Abstract
Bacterial resistance against antibiotics is an emergent medical issue. The development of novel therapeutic approaches is urgently needed and, in this context, bacteriophages represent a promising strategy to fight multi resistant bacteria. However, for some applications, bacteriophages cannot be used without an appropriate drug delivery system which increases their stability or provides an adequate targeting to the site of infection. This review summarizes the main application routes for bacteriophages and presents the new delivery approaches designed to increase phage's activity. Clinical successes of these formulations are also highlighted. Globally, this work paves the way for the design and optimization of nano and micro delivery systems for phage therapy.