As antibiotic resistance reaches critical levels worldwide, the 8th World Congress on Targeting Phage Therapy (June 10–11, 2025) returns to Berlin, bringing together over 75 international speakers and contributors from 27 countries. The congress offers the most comprehensive scientific and clinical update on phage therapy—a once-overlooked solution now at the forefront of next-generation medicine.

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Phage Therapy 2025 covers the full translational pipeline: from phage–bacteria interactions and biofilm disruption to regulatory frameworks, GMP manufacturing, and clinical case studies across human and veterinary medicine.

Highlights from the 2025 Program

  • Keynote Address: “Phage Therapy 2030: Getting from Here to There” by Prof. Robert T. Schooley (University of California San Diego)
  • Breakthrough Clinical Cases: Personalized phage therapy in cystic fibrosis, prosthetic joint infections, and critical MDR cases from Australia, Canada, and Georgia
  • Phages in Oncology: Groundbreaking applications in tumor targeting and immunomodulation from teams in Italy and Slovenia
  • One Health in Action: Presentations from Spain, Poland, and Japan on phage use in livestock, food safety, and veterinary infections
  • Session 5 – From Bench to Market: Regulatory innovation, GMP production pipelines, and commercialization insights from leading European CDMOs and biotech firms

Emerging Themes and Hot Topics in Phage Therapy 2025

Precision Phage Engineering: Researchers are now developing genetically customized phages with enhanced specificity, immune evasion mechanisms, and synthetic delivery modules—ushering in a new era of personalized and programmable therapies.

Phage–Microbiota Interactions: Phages are gaining recognition not only as antimicrobial agents but as key modulators of the gut microbiome, with therapeutic implications in chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders, and immune regulation.

Phage–Antibiotic Synergy: Rather than serving as alternatives, phages and antibiotics are proving to be complementary tools. Several studies demonstrated how phages can re-sensitize resistant bacteria, dismantle biofilms, and extend antibiotic lifespan.

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Regulatory & GMP Acceleration: From compassionate use protocols to full GMP production, the congress emphasized rapid progress in aligning legal frameworks, production standards, and clinical accessibility.

Next-Gen Preclinical Models: Innovative models, including the ex vivo pig lung system for cystic fibrosis, are revolutionizing how phage efficacy and safety are validated prior to human use.

Global Harmonization: Speakers emphasized the urgent need for international coordination on phage libraries, production protocols, and regulatory pathways.

Phages Beyond Infections: Talks explored novel uses of phages in cancer immunotherapy, vaccine delivery, and systemic immune modulation.

Driving Innovation: JAFRAL and Cellexus

Two strategic industry leaders showcased the technologies that are making phage therapy commercially viable:

• JAFRAL (Slovenia) is a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for GMP-grade bacteriophage production. With experience supporting over 12 clinical trials globally, JAFRAL delivers scalable manufacturing solutions for human and veterinary therapeutics, food, and agriculture. JAFRAL’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities are equipped to deliver GMP-compliant and non-GMP bacteriophage products with batch capacities of up to 200 liters, fully aligned with FDA, EMA and TGA regulatory standards. The company provides end-to-end services—from process and analytical method development to large-scale production—tailored to meet the stringent demands of both clinical and commercial use. The company offers diverse formulation capabilities, including liquid formulations, spray drying, and lyophilization, ensuring flexible and customized solutions for a wide range of therapeutic and industrial applications.

• Cellexus (United Kingdom) presented the CellMaker system—currently the only single-use, purely airlift bioreactor on the market. Designed for phage and viral production, CellMaker enables scalable, shear-free bioprocessing compliant with GMP standards, bridging the gap between research and industrial application. The CellMaker range of revolutionary, single-use airlift bioreactor systems simplify, accelerate and improve cell culture and fermentation processes with a system expertly designed for the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries.

In closing, Prof. Christian Willy remarked: “Phage therapy is no longer an experimental tool—it is becoming an essential component of post-antibiotic medicine. What we do now will define its accessibility and legitimacy in clinical care for decades.”

For more information: www.phagetherapy-site.com

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