iBB

The use of bacteriophages, or simply phages, as therapeutic agents offer is expected to reduce antibiotic use and mitigate the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The development of phage therapies should be accompanied by the improvement of phage biomanufacturing processes. In a review published in Biotechnology Advances, Jorge João, João Lampreia, Miguel Prazeres and Ana Azevedo from BERG-iBB showcase current processes used for the manufacturing of phages and discuss future alternatives. On the production side, key factors (e.g. bacterial physiological state, phage infection, operation parameters) are described alongside with the different bioreactor operation modes. Traditional methods used in the initial phage isolation steps are then described followed by the presentation of current state-of-the-art purification approaches. Continuous purification of phages is finally presented as a future biomanufacturing trend.