Podovirus
Podovirus
Podcast Description
Phages (bacteriophages) are viruses that kill bacteria. In an age of antibiotic resistance, we need them! Luckily there are 1000s of researchers studying phages, using them, and making them available for humans (phage therapy), agriculture, and beyond!
But phages don't quite fit our modern regulatory systems, so there's lots to do.
Jessica will have conversations with guests across the phage field (and beyond - whatever it takes to get answers). From diving into current research and initiatives, to getting to the root of bottlenecks in our field, to making sense of new trends and findings.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a diverse range of topics related to phage therapy and its applications, including episodes discussing the business viability of phage therapy, personalized medicine, regulatory challenges, and microbiome editing, with specific examples such as the journey of companies like Intralytix and Phiogen Pharmaceuticals.
Phages (bacteriophages) are viruses that kill bacteria with sniper-like precision. They can be incredibly useful for treating life-threatening infections (‘phage therapy’), and can help us reduce our dependence on antibiotics. They’ve been known for 100 years… so WHY do we still not see them on the shelves?
Jessica Sacher, PhD (Staff Scientist at Stanford and cofounder of Phage Directory) and Joseph Campbell, PhD (former NIAID program officer) talk to phage therapy practitioners, researchers and entrepreneurs to understand one question: why don’t we have phage therapy yet?
“The thing everybody thinks is a tailwind for our space — the low financial barrier to get into a clinical trial — is actually one of the largest headwinds.”
Paul has spent 35 years in biopharma, and he has a sharp take on why phage therapy isn't pulling in the same kind of investment as other biotech sectors. Cheap, small trials have produced mediocre data that's spooked the money — and the field is paying for it.
In this episode, Paul walks us through what it actually takes to get phage drugs through the clinic, why his company believes intracellular pathogens are the next frontier, and how Locus went from a CRISPR-Cas3 startup to dosing patient 188 of 288 in what may be the largest phage clinical trial ever.
In this episode:
- How Locus tested CRISPR-Cas3 delivery via phage, nanotech, and cell-penetrating peptides — and why phage won
- The EpiBiome acquisition and the $800M Janssen partnership
- Why Phase 0 trials are worth the investment
- The problem with low-cost, underpowered clinical trials damaging the field’s reputation
- Getting PKPD right before progressing — “the right drug at the wrong dose still fails”
- Why intracellular pathogens could unlock phage therapy as a new field of medicine
- The 5-year plan (engineered cocktails for MDR infections) and 15-year vision (anti-inflammatory, oncology, neurology)
- Advice for researchers: work on payloads, chase government funding, and don’t give up on the microbiome
Guest: Paul Garofolo, CEO of Locus Biosciences (@locusbio)
Hosts: Jessica Sacher & Joe Campbell
Learn more: https://www.locus-bio.com/
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