From hype to hope: reanimating phage therapy through evidence-based multidisciplinarity

Abstract

Abstract Phage therapy must move beyond anecdote to clinical reproducibility. Despite compelling cases of bacteriophages curing otherwise untreatable infections, inconsistent outcomes and biological complexity continue to limit clinical adoption. Here we identify three foundational pillars–drug delivery, treatment effectiveness, and managing bacterial resistance that must be addressed through interdisciplinary collaboration to transform phage therapy from a niche intervention to a powerful weapon against antimicrobial resistance. The time for rigorous, translational phage science is now.