Bacteriophages for improving human health: from food additives to dietary supplements

The scientific committee of the International Society of Microbiota is honoured to welcome Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze, Editor-in-chief of Bacteriophage for the 4th edition of Targeting Microbiota World Congress.

During the congress, Dr. Sulakvelidze will talk about bacteriophages for improving human health: from food additives to dietary supplements. According to Dr. Sulakvelidze, the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria has rekindled interest in potential utility of lytic bacteriophages for managing bacterial infections. While most public attention has focused on the use of phages for treating human infections, there are currently no FDA-approved phage products available for human therapeutic applications. It is anticipated that such products will be gradually approved and marketed over the next several years.  Meanwhile, lytic bacteriophages are already improving our health by enhancing our food safety; e.g., several FDA-approved phage-based products are currently on the market for “phage biocontrol” applications. Moreover, application of bacteriophages as dietary supplements / probiotics is also gaining an increased attention, as phages are increasingly being considered for targeted fine-tuning of the human microbiota for health benefits. 

The presentation will give the audience a current perspective about the history of bacteriophage therapy research and the crucial regulatory and human safety issues concerning the use of bacteriophages in various applications ranging from food safety (“phage biocontrol”) to dietary supplements / probiotics.

For more information please visit: www.microbiota-site.com