Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News Feature
  • Published:

Turning a new phage

Nature Medicine volume 18, pages 1318–1320 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

The idea of using bacteria-fighting viruses as a weapon against hard-to-treat infections is making a surprising comeback, but with a twist on how it has been attempted for nearly a century. Researchers and companies are now tweaking and deconstructing these bacteria killers in an effort to develop a new arsenal against antibiotic-resistant superbugs—one with more potency and a better likelihood of regulatory approval. Lauren Gravitz reports.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Wright, A., Hawkins, C.H., Änggård, E.E. & Harper, D.R. Clin. Otolaryngol. 34, 349–357 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lu, T.K. & Collins, J.J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 4629–4634 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Edgar, R., Friedman, N., Molshanski-Mor, S. & Qimron, U. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78, 744–751 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fischetti, V.A., Gotschlich, E.C. & Bernheimer, A.W. J. Exp. Med. 133, 1105–1117 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Nelson, D., Loomis, L. & Fischetti, V.A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 4107–4112 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Yoong, P., Schuch, R. Nelson, D. & Fischetti, V.A. J. Bacteriol. 186, 4808–4812 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Pastagia, M. et al. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 55, 738–744 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Schuch, R., Nelson, D. & Fischetti, V.A. Nature 418, 884–889 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Vipra, A.A. et al. BMC Microbiol. 12, 41 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lauren Gravitz is a science writer based in Los Angeles, California.,

    Lauren Gravitz

Authors
  1. Lauren Gravitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gravitz, L. Turning a new phage. Nat Med 18, 1318–1320 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0912-1318

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0912-1318

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing