PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Dartmouth-led study provides new insights into phage therapy design

2024-05-15
(Press-News.org)

Results from a new Dartmouth-led study, involving collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University and published in the journal PLOS Biology, are providing new insights into the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage (phage) therapy for treating diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF). 

 

A major challenge of treating people with CF—an inherited disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in the lungs—are the persistent infections the disease causes which can lead to respiratory failure and death. 

 

“Opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the pathogens associated with the most lung function decline in CF, have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, so we have to be creative with new ways to think about treating these infections,” explains Jennifer Bomberger, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, who served as senior author on the study.

 

“Developed many decades ago, phage therapy has seen success in Eastern Europe as an antimicrobial for difficult-to-treat infections and is increasingly being used in clinical trials and compassionate use cases through Emergency Use Authorizations in the U.S.,” says Paula Zamora, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at Geisel and first author on the study.

 

One of the advantages of phage therapy, which uses viruses to kill bacteria, “is that unlike antibiotics which need to be given repeatedly, it has this mechanism of self-amplification,” Zamora continues. “Phages are able to replicate by binding to bacteria and injecting their genetic material—as phages make more phages, they kill more bacteria.” 

 

While phage therapy is thought to be relatively safe with few side effects, key gaps in knowledge related to the interactions between phages and the epithelial cells of the human respiratory tract remain. 

 

“Since very high doses of phages are often needed to elicit a therapeutic effect, we wondered, ‘Do the host cells detect these phages, and do they create an inflammatory response that we should be concerned about?’” says Bomberger. 

 

To find out, the investigators teamed up with researchers at Pitt and Yale, 

examining interactions between a panel of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages with therapeutic potential and human airway epithelial cells derived from a person with CF and grown in cell lines in the lab. 

 

They determined that respiratory epithelial cells do sense and respond to therapeutic phages, and that interactions between phages and epithelial cells are heterogenous in nature—in that they are dependent on specific phage properties, as well as physiochemical features of the airway microenvironment. 

 

“Our research also indicates that immune responses to phages could be harnessed to improve the effectiveness of phage therapy on an individual basis,” Zamora says. “We hope that our findings will lead to more studies that examine the effects that phages have on the human host.”

 

Considering that the effects of phages on human cells are not currently required to be evaluated as part of phage therapy design, Bomberger adds, “Our suggestion is, as people are screening phages for killing bacteria, they might also want to know what types of immune responses those phages could elicit in the host and let that play into their calculus when picking which phage to treat a patient with.”

 

Founded in 1797, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth strives to improve the lives of the communities it serves through excellence in learning, discovery, and healing. The Geisel School of Medicine is renowned for its leadership in medical education, healthcare policy and delivery science, biomedical research, global health, and in creating innovations that improve lives worldwide. As one of America’s leading medical schools, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine is committed to training new generations of diverse leaders who will help solve our most vexing challenges in healthcare.

 

# # #

 

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

This time, it’s personal: Enhancing patient response to cancer immunotherapy

This time, it’s personal: Enhancing patient response to cancer immunotherapy
2024-05-15
LA JOLLA (May 15, 2024)—Immunotherapy has revolutionized the way we treat cancer in recent years. Instead of targeting the tumor itself, immunotherapies work by directing patients’ immune systems to attack their tumors more effectively. This has been especially impactful in improving outcomes for certain difficult-to-treat cancers. Still, fewer than half of all cancer patients respond to current immunotherapies, creating an urgent need to identify biomarkers that can predict which patients are most likely to benefit. Recently, scientists have noticed that patients whose tumors have a mutation in a gene called ARID1A are ...

A novel multifunctional catalyst turns methane into valuable hydrocarbons

A novel multifunctional catalyst turns methane into valuable hydrocarbons
2024-05-15
Methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly towards global warming, is also an important source of energy and an essential chemical resource. When used as a chemical feedstock, methane is typically converted into methanol first and then into hydrocarbons. However, this sequential conversion requires complex industrial setups. More importantly, since methane is a very stable molecule, its conversion into methanol requires tremendous amounts of energy when using conventional means, such ...

Two decades of studies suggest health benefits associated with plant-based diets

Two decades of studies suggest health benefits associated with plant-based diets
2024-05-15
Vegetarian and vegan diets are generally associated with better status on various medical factors linked to cardiovascular health and cancer risk, as well as lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and death, according to a new review of 49 previously published papers. Angelo Capodici and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on May 15, 2024. Prior studies have linked certain diets with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. A diet that is poor in plant products and rich in meat, refined grains, sugar, and salt is associated with higher risk of death. Reducing consumption of animal-based ...

Bluetooth tracking devices provide new look into care home quality

Bluetooth tracking devices provide new look into care home quality
2024-05-15
Wearable Bluetooth devices can shed light on the care that residents of care homes are receiving and which residents are most in need of social contact, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Carl Thompson of University of Leeds, UK. In the UK alone, nearly half a million people reside in some form of care home, including long-term care facilities, nursing homes and residential homes. There is no single reliable method that works well to evaluate care home quality, in part because care homes are complex social systems with diverse interacting groups. In the new study, researchers tested the feasibility of collecting social network ...

Scientists want to know how the smells of nature benefit our health

2024-05-15
Spending time in nature is good for us. Studies have shown that contact with nature can lift our well-being by affecting  emotions, influencing  thoughts, reducing stress and improving physical health. Even brief exposure to nature can help. One well-known study found that hospital patients recovered faster if their room included a window view of a natural setting. Knowing more about nature’s effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems and design cities, homes and parks. Yet studies on the benefits of contact with nature have typically focused primarily ...

Singing researchers find cross-cultural patterns in music and language

Singing researchers find cross-cultural patterns in music and language
2024-05-15
Language and music may share evolutionary functions. Both speech and song have features such as rhythm and pitch. But are similarities and differences between speech and song shared across cultures? To investigate this question, 75 researchers—speaking 55 languages—were recruited across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Among them were experts in ethnomusicology, music psychology, linguistics, and evolutionary biology. The researchers were asked to sing, perform instrumentals, ...

Killer whales breathe just once between dives, study confirms

2024-05-15
A new study has confirmed a long-held assumption: that orcas take just one breath between dives. The researchers used drone footage and biological data from tags suction-cupped to 11 northern and southern resident killer whales off the coast of B.C. to gather information on the animals’ habits. Whaley fun facts Published in PLOS ONE, the study found that residents spend most of their time making shallow dives, with the majority of dives less than one minute. The longest dive recorded was 8.5 minutes, for an adult male. “Killer whales are like sprinters who don’t have the marathon endurance of blue and humpback whales to make deep and prolonged dives,” ...

Bees and butterflies on the decline in western and southern North America

Bees and butterflies on the decline in western and southern North America
2024-05-15
Bee and butterfly populations are in decline in major regions of North America due to ongoing environmental change, and significant gaps in pollinator research limit our ability to protect these species, according to a study published May 15, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sara Souther of Northern Arizona University, US, and colleagues. Recent research has detected declines in populations of pollinator species, sparking alarm from scientists and policymakers concerned about negative impacts on ecosystems and agriculture. These declines have been linked to various factors including climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, but ...

Singing researchers investigate cross-cultural patterns in music, language

2024-05-15
Seventy-five researchers from 46 countries recorded themselves performing traditional music and speaking in their own languages in a novel experiment investigating cross-cultural differences and similarities. With rare exceptions, the rhythms of songs and instrumental melodies were slower than for speech, while the pitches were higher and more stable, according to the study published in Science Advances. Unique for the number of languages represented – 55 – and the diversity of the researchers, the study provides “strong evidence for cross-cultural regularities,” according to senior author Dr Patrick ...

Animal brain inspired AI game changer for autonomous robots

Animal brain inspired AI game changer for autonomous robots
2024-05-15
A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains.  Animal brains use less data and energy compared to current deep neural networks running on GPUs (graphic chips). Neuromorphic processors are therefore very suitable for small drones because they don’t need heavy and large hardware and batteries. The results are extraordinary: during flight the drone’s deep neural network  processes data up to 64 times faster and consumes three times less energy than when running on a GPU. Further developments of this technology may ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Sensitive ceramics for soft robotics

Trends in hospitalizations and liver transplants associated with alcohol-induced liver disease

Spinal cord stimulation vs medical management for chronic back and leg pain

Engineered receptors help the immune system home in on cancer

How conflicting memories of sex and starvation compete to drive behavior

Scientists discover ‘entirely unanticipated’ role of protein netrin1 in spinal cord development

Novel SOURCE study examining development of early COPD in ages 30 to 55

NRL completes development of robotics capable of servicing satellites, enabling resilience for the U.S. space infrastructure

Clinical trial shows positive results for potential treatment to combat a challenging rare disease

New research shows relationship between heart shape and risk of cardiovascular disease

Increase in crisis coverage, but not the number of crisis news events

New study provides first evidence of African children with severe malaria experiencing partial resistance to world’s most powerful malaria drug

Texting abbreviations makes senders seem insincere, study finds

Living microbes discovered in Earth’s driest desert

Artemisinin partial resistance in Ugandan children with complicated malaria

When is a hole not a hole? Researchers investigate the mystery of 'latent pores'

ETRI, demonstration of 8-photon qubit chip for quantum computation

Remote telemedicine tool found highly accurate in diagnosing melanoma

New roles in infectious process for molecule that inhibits flu

Transforming anion exchange membranes in water electrolysis for green hydrogen production

AI method can spot potential disease faster, better than humans

A development by Graz University of Technology makes concreting more reliable, safer and more economical

Pinpointing hydrogen isotopes in titanium hydride nanofilms

Political abuse on X is a global, widespread, and cross-partisan phenomenon, suggests new study

Reintroduction of resistant frogs facilitates landscape-scale recovery in the presence of a lethal fungal disease

Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water

Updated first aid guidelines enhance care for opioid overdose, bleeding, other emergencies

Revolutionizing biology education: Scientists film ‘giant’ mimivirus in action

Genetic variation enhances cancer drug sensitivity

Protective genetic mutation offers new hope for understanding autism and brain development

[Press-News.org] Dartmouth-led study provides new insights into phage therapy design