400,000€ 
investment
over 2 years

Launched in October 2010 with a 500,000€ budget, this program brings together the skills of an international team whose original project has received much support from the scientific community.

Bacteriophages and their use in antibacterial treatment were discovered over a century ago. They were quickly "replaced" by antibiotics, but their interest resurfaces due to increasing issues related to antibiotic resistance, and to their very targeted mode of action towards a specific pathogen, that keeps the balance of intestinal flora.

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

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

This work is conducted by 3 internationally recognized teams under the leadership of Laurent Debarbieux from the Institut Pasteur (Paris).