And the winner is...

Friday, 25 February 2011 14:25

Research news

Bacteriophages and Bacteria Relationships in intestinal flora; Coordinator : Laurent Debarbieux :  € 500 000 for this project

The European Scientific Council of the DigestScience Foundation launched this new tender worth €500,000 EUR in October 2010. The project selected was that of an international team, which won thanks to its convincing originality, thanks also to the quality and scientific expertise of the different teams involved, and because of its therapeutic, diagnostic and prophylactic market potentials. This selection places the DigestScience Foundation at the forefront of scientific innovation.

An innovative research project leading to many applications, whose initial results will be due in early 2012.

Bacteriophages and their application in anti-bacterial treatment were discovered more than a century ago. Though they were quickly "discarded" in favour of antibiotics, their importance remains vital not only because of the increasing problems with resistance to antibiotics, but also because of their precision when targeting a specific pathogen, thus respecting the flora balance.

Bacteriophages are viruses exclusively directed against bacteria. Being the most numerous biological entity (1031) on the planet, these phages play a vital role in the microbial balance. At the digestive level, these interactions are so far unknown.

With this initiative, DigestScience is supporting a major project concerning the understanding and the role of bacteriophages in the intestinal flora.

The winning team, four world experts in synergy with a coordonator: Laurent Debarbieux, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris.