Phage therapy could prove promising in fighting antimicrobial resistance

Phage therapy has significant potential to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR), said Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy Konganti, an expert in sepsis and infectious diseases at SHRI Hospital, Guntur. According to a report in 'The Hindu', this method, which uses bacteriophages to selectively destroy harmful bacteria, could prove extremely useful.

Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy shared this information in a press release after presenting his team's scientific findings at a symposium organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The symposium was jointly organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and prestigious biomedical research journals. The research presentation on phage therapy by Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy's team was praised by the participants attending the symposium.

Dr Sudarshan Govindaraj, Associate Professor and phage biologist at SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, also presented research conducted by his team at the event. Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy described the event as an enriching learning experience. He also spoke about discussions regarding the wide applications of bacteriophages in diagnosis, treatment, and cancer research. Professor Chuanbin Mao, chairman of the symposium, has researched bacteriophages for 25 years and has a significant contribution to scientific literature.

Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy further explained that bacteriophages target only pathogenic bacteria without harming the human body. When antibiotics fail, this method can be a promising alternative. His team has administered phage therapy to some patients at their center, and the results have been encouraging. To increase the availability of this treatment across India, his team is working in collaboration with SRM University and Szeged University of Hungary.

Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy Konganti serves as an expert in sepsis and infectious diseases at SHRI Hospital, Guntur.