A new medical manufacturing facility has been launched in Western Australia to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The Phage WA facility will seek to harness breakthroughs in the fight against antimicrobial resistance through the manufacturing of bacteriophages, naturally occurring ‘friendly’ viruses that attack bacteria by injecting their DNA into the cells.
Bacteriophage, or phage, therapy has the potential to treat antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as lung, skin and ear infections, as well as bacterial infections like golden staph.
The facility was opened by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson this morning, who said it would provide Western Australians who had exhausted all other avenues a new hope.
“We're totally committed to investing in local researchers and supporting them to pursue their innovative world-leading medical research projects that can save lives here in WA and around the world,” he said.
“This is another exciting day for medical research in WA with the state's first phage facility now officially open for business, ready to help WA patients get access to these lifesaving alternative therapies.”
The Phage WA centre was established through a partnership between the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre at the Telethon Kids Institute, the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Cell and Tissue Therapies WA at Royal Perth Hospital.
The facility was supported through a $645,000 investment by the state government through the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund’s innovation seed fund and innovation fellowship grant, as well as a $1.9 million federal government grant.
