While phage therapy isn’t FDA approved for general use, it can be used in certain situations like clinical trials or in certain compassionate circumstances — basically, when there is no other option. But with antibiotic resistance a growing concern around the world, an international event is organized for June 2025 in Berlin, Germany, focused on moving phage therapy forward for clinical use.

Phage therapy is a way to treat bacterial infections using viruses called bacteriophages (phages). These viruses attack and kill specific bacteria while leaving human cells alone. Phages are administered to the patient via injection, cream or pill, find the harmful bacteria and inject its DNA into it, reproducing up to 1000 new viruses in each bacterium.

The injected bacteria then explode releasing more phages to find and kill more of the bacteria, subsequently improving the infection.

The idea for this type of treatment has been around for over 100 years but is gaining major global interest now because of its ability to fight super bugs that are antibiotic resistant.

This is the eighth annual Targeting Phage Therapy 2025 conference and is aimed at accelerating clinical use of phage-based therapeutics by addressing issues like dosage knowledge, limitations, immunity response resistance development and more.

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