Phage Bank for Selection of Personalized Therapeutic Treatments against Mycobacteria

A phage bank comprising lytic phages against mycobacteria, used to create phage cocktails for treatment of drug-resistant infections

Background
Non‑tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pathogens are extremely antibiotic resistant causing the most difficult-to-treat pulmonary infections in immunocompromised individuals such are cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis, emphysema, and in patients with prior tuberculosis. NTM incidents have been increasing worldwide in recent years leading to high morbidity and fatality rates. While clinically available antibiotics effectively kill NTM in vitro, despite combinational and lengthy antimicrobial regimens, treatment outcomes in clinics are unpredictable and often ineffective, demanding the use of novel therapies and technologies for improved results.

Bacteriophages were originally discovered more than 100 years ago and have received renewed interest in recent years for potential use as antimicrobial agents against multi-drug resistant pathogens. This renewed interest has led to new research, venture capital investment, and even clinical trials for phage therapies. In at least two recent cases, personalized phage cocktails were developed and used in a clinical setting to successfully treat multi-drug-resistant infections. Phage therapies have also been proposed in animal health, including veterinary applications, animal production environments, and more specifically, in the dairy production chain.

Technology Description
The inventors have generated the phage bank with diverse isolates of lytic mycobacteriophages. This bank creates an opportunity to individually screen phages against a patient’s bacterial strain and isolate specific therapeutic phages that can effectively kill the tested clinical isolate for the development of individualized phage therapy.

Features & Benefits

• Can be used to prevent and treat bacterial infections in both animals and humans, especially during chronic and refractory infections caused by drug-resistant and persistent strains of mycobacteria where antibiotics fail.
• Access to a phage bank creates an opportunity to identify more than one effective phage and to create personalized phage cocktails to avoid issues such as phage neutralization.
• Use of phages in large animals (vs antibiotics) are safe, practical, and economical. Phage preparations could be provided to large animals through water or feed as an intervention strategy for prophylaxis, treatment, and control of Johne’s disease in dairy herds.
• Use of phages in large animals (vs antibiotics) are safe, practical, and economical. Unlike antibiotics, because phages are specific to a genus, species or strain of bacteria and can precisely target specific bacterial subpopulations, it eliminates the possibility of dysbiosis (an imbalance in microbiota of humans or animals).

Applications

• Prevention and treatment of infections caused by mycobacteria including but not limited to:
  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the etiological agent of human tuberculosis)
  - Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (prevalent pathogen in HIV-patients and people with lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis)
  - Mycobacterium abscessus (causing lung infections in immunocompromised individuals with underlining lung conditions)
  - Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (causative agent of Johne’s disease) Mycobacterium bovis (bovine tuberculosis)
• Biocontrol of mycobacterial pathogens in agricultural environments such as in water troughs, milk, and soil, and inhibit bacterial transmission from contaminated sources to healthy animals within the herd.

Opportunity
Oregon State University is seeking a licensee or development partner. Currently, only non-exclusive licensing is available.

Status
No patent