I-Corps: Polyvalent Bacteriophages

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to provide an effective and low-cost means for inhibiting the growth of pathogenic or problematic bacteria in the environment. There is growing concern that the widespread use of antibiotics and biocides has promoted the evolution of resistant bacterial strains for which there exist few effective treatments. The proposed technology is being developed as a safer and more environmentally sustainable alternative to antibiotics and biocides, or may be used as part of a combination treatment to enhance their effects. Additionally, the proposed technology is selective, and can target specific bacteria within a population, thus preserving the function of beneficial species. Successful implementation of this project will lead to the development of a wide range of products useful for controlling bacteria in both built and natural environments. Specific applications are expected to include the control of agricultural pathogens, mitigation of petroleum reservoir souring, optimization of wastewater treatment processes, and microbiome engineering. This I-Corps project is based on a novel technology platform for the isolation and application of extremely wide host-range (polyvalent) bacteriophages (viruses that only infect bacteria). The vast majority of bacteriophages reported in scientific studies and developed for commercial use have had a narrow host-range, likely due to the use of biased isolation techniques. In contrast, the proposed technology preferentially isolates only very wide host-range bacteriophages. Polyvalent bacteriophages have the potential to be significantly more effective than narrow host-range bacteriophages at controlling target bacteria in many natural and built environments, including biofilms. They have been shown to be 10- to 100-fold more effective at inhibiting the growth of their target bacteria, and have been successfully utilized to eliminate 99.99% of an antibiotic resistance gene from a wastewater sample. When used in combination with antibiotics or biocides, the technology is expected to work synergistically, enabling long-term and more complete control of problematic bacteria.