The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a global health threat, affecting millions worldwide, HUN-REN said in a statement.

As traditional drugs lose effectiveness, treating chronic wounds and recurrent infections becomes increasingly difficult, often leaving patients battling relapsing illnesses for years.

In response, the European Commission's Horizon Europe programme has launched three phage therapy research projects, including REPHRAME, which involves 16 international partners.

The project combines targeted phage therapy, using viruses to kill bacteria, with restoring the body's natural microbiome balance, aiming not just to treat infections symptomatically but to prevent their recurrence.

"While the principle of phage therapy is simple -- viruses kill bacteria -- precision is critical," HUN-REN said. "Phages are highly specific, targeting only certain bacterial strains. For the method to work, we must accurately predict which virus will be effective against which bacterium."

The HUN-REN SZBK's Laboratory of Translational Microbiology, led by Balint Kintses, is developing data-driven and computational models to predict these interactions, making their work pivotal in this phase.

"One of the greatest promises of phage therapy is its precision: it can eliminate harmful bacteria while leaving beneficial microbial communities untouched," Kintses explained. "But to achieve this, we must fully understand the relationship between phages and bacteria."

Launched in June 2026, the five-year REPHRAME project brings together 16 leading European institutions, including universities from Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Latvia.

"The work of Szeged's researchers provides the essential methodology to transform phage therapy from experimental trials into a planned, safe and clinically applicable treatment across Europe," the statement said.

Photo: Hun-Ren

More: 
Hun-Ren

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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