Phage Consultants highlight bacterial ‘arms race’ at ISBioTech 2017

Gdansk, Poland: – Specialist Polish-based CRO Phage Consultants (PC) will return to the International Society for BioProcess Technology’s ISBioTech Fall Meeting in Virginia next month to present new insights into the complicated relationship between bacteriophages and bacteria.

For the fourth time in the event’s five-year history, Phage Consultants CEO Dr. Marcin Los is an invited speaker.

Bacterial Arms Race

Dr. Los will deliver his presentation on ‘An Arms Race Between Bacteria and Bacteriophages — Will This War Ever End?’ to open Day Two of the conference’s Contaminant Control stream (0830-0915, December 12).

Dr. Los will tell the conference that bacteriophages match bacteria in their ability to evolve and mutate and therefore present worthy adversaries in the war to control bacterial contamination in industrial bioprocesses, avoiding use of antibiotics, but also the ability of bacteria to counteract phage contamination.

Phage Consultants will also use the event’s partnering meetings to show how its contamination control services can do more with less, using inexpensive bacteriophage mix ‘cocktails’ that can target microbial and bacterial contamination without using problematic and expensive antibiotics.

Counter measures

“We hope to use this great event once again to educate people a little more about the phage molecular biology and bacterial counter measures, which play key roles in combating contamination outbreaks in production facilities,” said Dr. Los.

“We will also be explaining the potent role that bacteriophages play in our technologies that not only seek to identify and eliminate bacteriophage contamination but also use ‘phages to combat bacteria,” he added.

“These are messages that are particularly relevant to fermentation managers seeking to keep their processes clean and contamination-free,” said Dr. Los.

About Phage Consultants

Phage Consultants is a contract research and manufacturing organization that specializes in bacteriophage detection and characterization and production.

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. First discovered around 1915, phages play an important role in viral biology, used to elucidate DNA viral reproduction through lytic and lysogenic cycles. They have been used for almost a century as alternatives to antibiotics and can have therapeutic effect against multi-drug-resistant strains of many bacteria.

Founded in Gdansk, Poland, in 2007, PC have become world leaders in using the power of bacteriophage technology in bioprocess infection and contamination control and assisting companies whose production is based on microbial activities in preventing bacteriophage contamination, along with bacterial, fungal and viral contaminations.

Phage Consultants are also specialists in the field of bacteriophage biology with specific expertise on phage activity in bioprocessing. Its team provides unique assistance to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, offering a range of services from personal training to consulting and process optimization in phage growth limitation. The company also advises and assists clients in the development of new production facilities.

About ISBioTech

The International Society for BioProcess Technology (ISBioTech) was established in 2010 to advance process and analytical techniques, making the latest bioprocess technology readily available to organizations developing and producing biopharmaceuticals worldwide.

The society’s fourth Fall Meeting is a three-day event opening December 11. The event is returning to the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel n the eastern state of Virginia.

This innovation-focused meeting will once again feature three streams on Cell & Tissue Banking, Contaminant Control and Process Analysis & Automation, covering product development from start to finish, taking in a wide-range of applications including vaccines, antibodies, recombinant proteins, viral vectors, and cellular therapies.

The meeting will share techniques and best practices needed to establish stable and well-characterized cell banks; the latest technologies to prevent, identify, and clear contaminants; as well as the latest analytical technology, and how it can be used to automate various unit operations and integrated, continuous processes. It will also discuss best applications of single-use components and systems, along with the most powerful single-use sensors.

ISBioTech is organized by International Society For Bioprocess Technology with more information available at: www.isbiotech.org/5thfallmeeting