Canadian First: Cytophage's Phage Therapy Targets Severe Infections
Winnipeg -- March 1, 2024 -- NewsGenie -- Cytophage Technologies Ltd. is collaborating with Dr. Marisa Azad at The Ottawa Hospital to deliver bacteriophage (phage) therapy to a patient with a severe hardware-associated bone and joint infection. This marks the first instance of such treatment in Canada, with approval from Health Canada and The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
The use of phage therapy for prosthetic joint infections has been a key research area for Cytophage. In late 2023, Dr. Azad contacted Cytophage about a patient with an antibiotic-resistant infection related to a prosthetic joint replacement. A treatment plan was developed and approved as a single-subject clinical trial (N of 1). This allows for the efficacy of a treatment to be investigated when all other treatments have failed.
The patient has begun receiving treatments that include phages exclusively provided by Cytophage, tested for their ability to destroy MRSE bacteria.
Dr. Steven Theriault, CEO of Cytophage, stated this is an important breakthrough for people with drug-resistant prosthetic joint infections. He hopes it will make a significant difference in the quality of life for patients living with this type of infection.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), over 130,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed every year in Canada. About 3% of surgeries may require treatment of antibiotic-resistant prosthetic joint infections, which can lead to amputation and death.
Cytophage is optimistic about future N of 1 studies for prosthetic joint infections and other difficult-to-treat infections.
Cytophage has entered into a marketing and market awareness agreement with the CanaCom Group for a fee of $90,000. CanaCom will provide digital marketing awareness via advertising through its platform theDeepDive.ca.
About Cytophage
Cytophage is a biotechnology company focused on bacteriophage research, product development, and commercialization to combat bacterial infections affecting human health, animal health, and food security.