UMinho’s Center for Biological Engineering (CEB) is a reference in the study of phage therapy, which at the end of 2024 was approved by Infarmed for medical purposes in Portugal
Antibiotic resistance, one of the greatest threats to global public health, has been rendering conventional treatments for chronic bacterial infections ineffective. Among the most worrying agents are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which are capable of resisting several antibiotics and forming biofilms (communities of bacteria protected by a matrix that limits the action of treatments).
To respond to the challenge, the European project ASCLEPIUS, which includes the participation of CEB, aims to make phage therapy (uses viruses to destroy bacteria) more effective and predictable, particularly in respiratory infections that are difficult to treat.
CEB has had a strong impact on the advancement of phage therapy in Portugal and Europe, supported by its pioneering role and long experience in the study and application of this approach. A path that reached a decisive milestone at the end of 2024 with the approval, by Infarmed, of the medical use of this therapy, being the third European country to adopt it, after Belgium and France. The knowledge accumulated by CEB also results in its participation in the implementation of 24 phage therapy treatments, a fieldwork that reinforces the value of its integration in this European consortium.
The main objective of ASCLEPIUS is to explore ways to select, adapt and combine bacteriophages (or phages) – viruses that specifically infect bacteria and eliminate them – to strengthen their ability to act in real infection conditions. The CEB team contributes with its experience in the study of biofilms and the interaction between viruses and bacteria, seeking to understand the barriers that these environments pose to phage activity.
When bacteria organize themselves into biofilms, they are surrounded by a protective matrix and have different characteristics and behaviors among themselves, factors that can limit the effectiveness of phage therapy. Knowing these particularities allows us to select and adapt phages in a more rational way and to develop strategies aimed at the conditions found in chronic infections.
To study these interactions, CEB uses different methodologies, including advanced microscopy, selection and adaptation of phages and evaluation of their performance against biofilms. The project also includes the characterization of clinical isolates, the development of methods to assess the susceptibility of bacteria and biofilms to phages, the isolation and characterization of new phages, and genomic and bioinformatic analysis. The combination of these approaches allows us to understand if a phage is effective, but also why, under what conditions and how its activity can be improved.
CEB’s experience also arises from its participation in treatment actions in a clinical context. Of the 24 phage therapy treatments in which CEB’s B-Phage research group has participated, about 20 involved chronic infections caused by P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Now, scientists can bring laboratory research closer to the challenges encountered in treating patients.
ASCLEPIUS involves, in addition to CEB, international partners such as the George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, INRAE and Intelligentsia Consultants, bringing together complementary skills in the area of phage therapy, bioinformatics and knowledge transfer. The collaboration also combines exchanges between researchers, schools and training actions, such as the “Summer School”, held in 2025 at the Eliava Institute, and the “Autumn School”, in October 2026 at CEB and dedicated, among other topics, to the characterization and genetic manipulation of phages and their activity against biofilms.
The research is ongoing, but the first works and exchanges of the project have produced results on the improvement of phage activity against P. aeruginosa biofilms. In the long term, the knowledge generated may expand the therapeutic options for people with chronic infections or infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, contributing to a better control of these pathologies, reducing the need for repeated antibiotic treatments and, consequently, improving the quality of life of patients.
+Info: www.ceb.uminho.pt
