The World Health Organization estimated that by 2050, up to ten million deaths associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (or what we commonly refer to as superbugs) will be recorded in Asia-Pacific, including the Philippines. This estimate is due to the growing number of superbugs being reported in the region. These superbugs have been causing deaths because our existing antibiotics are not working anymore. If this problem persists, even what seems as simple as a wound or cough could have deadly consequences.
Scientists worldwide and in the country are continuously looking for new alternative antibiotics that could help fight antibiotic resistance. But did you know that we may find a powerful tool against superbugs in our sewage systems? A special kind of virus called bacteriophages (or phages in short) thrive in areas teeming with germs, particularly bacteria. Unlike other viruses like SARS-CoV-2, HIV, and influenza virus, phages do not infect humans—they only target and kill specific bacteria. Because phages only “eats” bacteria, scientists and doctors have been testing phages as possible therapeutics against superbugs! In fact, during ancient times, these phages have been (unknowingly) used to treat various skin and stomach ailments. In the past decades, Western countries turned to phages for complicated infections or even in patients where antibiotics no longer work.
Despite the potentially promising use of phages for therapeutic applications in humans, it is relatively understudied in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. In the recent paper of the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) of The Medical City, the authors called for a “phage revolution” in the country and the region to encourage biomedical and clinical research on phages among scientists. To initiate this revolution, the CTRI is establishing its very own phage therapeutics program in partnership with Dr. Donna May Dela Cruz-Papa, a prominent phage biologist in the country. She is also the president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and currently serving as a visiting scientist at The Medical City. The CTRI aims to implement its first research project under the program by the middle of this year and hopes to work with funding agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)for support at the national level.
With the recent arrival of three-dimensional bioprinters (Cellink Bio X™ and Lumen X™) at The Medical City, a first in a local hospital setting, a complementary research program on tissue engineering and bioprinting is becoming a reality. Scientific advancements in this area can facilitate advanced laboratory testing of phages against superbugs. The CTRI also aims to tap its existing pioneering physician-scientist research fellowship program (funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and led by TMC’s Department of Advanced Medical Education) to recruit more medical scientists who share the vision of a world in which phages can heal patients infected by superbugs.
The problem of superbugs and antibiotic resistance is something that healthcare researchers should focus on before an onslaught of a post-antibiotic pandemic happens in the very near future. With the CTRI program’s movement toward advanced and innovative therapeutics (like phage therapy), the institute hopes to contribute to advancements in infectious disease treatment in the country.
About the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI)
Established in 2017, the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) is the premiere research institute of TMC network, committed in making clinical and biomedical research an integral part of the values and brand of The Medical City across the Philippines.
About the Author
Mark Carascal is a Microbiologist and Science Research Specialist from The Medical City Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI). He is the lead author of "Phage Revolution Against Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Pathogens in Southeast Asia."
For more information about Phage Revolution, you may refer to the publication of Carascal et al. (2022) on Frontiers in Microbiology accessible at https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.820572