In this blog from the team at Pro-Lab Diagnostics, we share the most prominent news and stories from the Microbiology world in April 2025.
Phage therapy is the process of using bacteriophages (aka viruses comprised of genomic material surrounded by a protein capsid) to treat bacterial infections. It has been used since the early 1920s! However, the rise of antibiotics and their effectiveness in treating infection led to a decline in the use of phage therapy.
Today, phage therapy is rapidly re-emerging due to the increase in antibiotic-resistant illnesses. Scientists have been developing non-personalised and personalised phage therapy approaches.
Thanks to clinical trials, it has now become apparent that when combined with antibiotics, personalised phage therapy offers superior clinical improvement in those with a bacterial infection!
A team of biologists from the University of Bristol have repurposed the CRISPR gene editing tool to gain a better understanding of the biodiversity present in natural environments. Current technologies only allow scientists to observe a small fraction of the microbes present within an environment.
However, the repurposing of the innovative gene editing tool allows scientists to capture long DNA signatures that are unique to each type of microbe. These signatures can then be read using DNA sequencing, which will give scientists a more complete picture of the intricate microbial worlds.
Biology graduate and first author Lucia Nikolaeva-Reynolds, hopes this pioneering research will help to fill “gaps in our knowledge about how this hidden microbial world supports the health of ecosystems.”
Despite being preventable and treatable, TB is still a leading cause of death around the globe. Unfortunately, the current TB treatments, although life-saving, can cause lung scarring, lung dysfunction, and leave patients vulnerable to relapsing.
An experimental cancer drug that is currently in its clinical trial phase could improve future TB treatments by helping infected cells die a gentler death.
The John Hopkins Medicine researchers believe this may lead to more effective TB treatment therapies whilst reducing the risk of lung damage.
A study recently published by researchers at NYU Langone Health has revealed that a special group of cells found in the intestines called ‘tolerogenic dendritic cells’ may be the key to understanding and treating food allergies.
Researchers aim to continue with further experiments with the hope of developing innovative new ways to treat food allergies.
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