ImmunoPhage

Even almost 100 years after the discovery of the first antibiotics, bacterial infections remain one of the most serious health problems, placing an enormous burden on our healthcare system. The standard treatment method is still to administer antibiotics. However, this practice has medical and socioeconomic side effects, including the development of antibiotic resistance and disruption to the normal microbiome.

This is why several research groups from the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, the University Hospital of Zurich and the Balgrist University Hospital have joined forces in the ImmunoPhage project, aiming to develop a new, fundamental treatment option. The aim is to modify bacteriophages, viruses that exclusively attack bacteria, to specifically support the immune system. Combining specific antimicrobial activity with the immunomodulatory properties of these immunophages creates a broadly applicable, sustainable and customisable approach to treating bacterial infections, and potentially inflammatory diseases too. Initially, the therapy is being developed for recurrent urinary tract infections.

In 2020, ImmunoPhage was named an HMZ Flagship Project and is now being further developed as part of the mTorus project at The LOOP Zurich research center.