How can AI tools optimize phage technology to tackle AMR?

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in agriculture presents a growing threat to global health, with antibiotic-resistant bacteria projected to cause more fatalities than cancer by 2050 and carry a $1.5 trillion economic impact. Bacteriophage technology is emerging as a promising tool to address this crisis. 

Justyna Andrysiak, chief product and technology officer at Proteon Pharmaceuticals, detailed her company’s pioneering research in bacteriophage applications over 15 years. 

While bacteriophages have been known for more than a century, they were long overshadowed by antibiotics.

"What’s innovative in our approach," Andrysiak explained, "is that today we have the tools to characterize and produce bacteriophages in a scalable, repeatable way."

She highlighted the rapid progress in molecular biology and AI-driven genomic analysis, enabling Proteon to conduct in-house characterization of phages and tailor specific, synergistic cocktails to enhance product stability, specificity, and resistance resilience. Proteon has built a comprehensive dataset on the safety and efficacy of phage products, including tolerance and mutagenicity data, she reported.

Leveraging machine learning 

As part of a startup pitch event at the summit, Alexandros Pantalis, CEO of Paris-based company, Phagos, also outlined the role of AI in overcoming barriers to mainstreaming phage therapy.

Identifying effective phage-bacteria combinations quickly is one of the primary challenges in bringing phage technology mainstream, he explained, and Phagos is leveraging machine learning and generative AI to streamline this process using DNA data and lab results. This approach enables Phagos to develop solutions up to 10 times faster than competitors, with plans to increase efficiency 100-fold as Gen AI models advance, he said.

Phagos regularly updates its phage cocktails to counteract bacterial resistance, a process made more agile by AI, which can adapt phage solutions dynamically to bacterial evolution, explained the CEO. 

Phages, Pantalis noted, are naturally evolving agents that adapt to bacterial mutations, making them uniquely suited for AMR challenges.

Founded in 2020, Phagos has grown to a team of 25 scientists and secured €4.3m in seed and public funding. Its early focus is on animal health, with liquid-administered phage treatments showing success in clinical trials across species, he told the audience. 

Regulatory pathways ​

Proteon is collaborating with industry partners to develop market-ready products, but Andrysiak stressed that regulatory advancements are essential for bacteriophages to realize their full potential in animal and human health. "Innovation without implementation is just a word."

While regulatory frameworks in South America, Asia, and the US are setting pathways​​ for phage products, the EU is lagging. Regulatory and funding support for phage technology remains limited compared to other regions, creating barriers to market entry in Europe.

In March, ahead of the EU elections, PhageEU, an advocacy group co-founded by Proteon, released a manifesto​​ urging the EU to recognize phages as a crucial tool in the fight against AMR. Following the EU Parliament’s 2023 resolution, which endorsed bacteriophages as effective alternatives to antibiotics, PhageEU pressed the need for streamlined regulatory pathways and inclusion of phages in future EU legislation on sustainable food systems.

The campaigners are also calling for dedicated EU funding to accelerate phage R&D,​​ supporting the “One Health” approach, which integrates animal, human, and environmental health to reduce AMR risks. By aligning regulatory and funding support, Europe could take a leading role in phage innovation, fostering sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.