Opportunities and challenges in phage therapy for cardiometabolic diseases

Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Aug;35(8):687-696. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.03.007. Epub 2024 Apr 17.

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) is increasing, and emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiota in this multifactorial disease development. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that selectively target a bacterial host; thus, phage therapy offers a precise means of modulating the gut microbiota, limiting collateral damage on the ecosystem. Several studies demonstrate the potential of phages in human disease, including alcoholic and steatotic liver disease. In this opinion article we discuss the potential of phage therapy as a predefined medicinal product for CMD and discuss its current challenges, including the generation of effective phage combinations, product formulation, and strict manufacturing requirements.

Keywords: bacteriophages; cardiometabolic diseases; gut microbiome; phage therapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteriophages / physiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / therapy
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Metabolic Diseases / therapy
  • Phage Therapy* / methods