title: Genetically Engineered Phages: a Review of Advances over the Last Decade.
abstract: Soon after their discovery in the early 20th century, bacteriophages were recognized to have great potential as antimicrobial agents, a potential that has yet to be fully realized. The nascent field of phage therapy was adversely affected by inadequately controlled trials and the discovery of antibiotics. Although the study of phages as anti-infective agents slowed, phages played an important role in the development of molecular biology. In recent years, the increase in multidrug-resistant bacteria has renewed interest in the use of phages as antimicrobial agents. With the wide array of possibilities offered by genetic engineering, these bacterial viruses are being modified to precisely control and detect bacteria and to serve as new sources of antibacterials. In applications that go beyond their antimicrobial activity, phages are also being developed as vehicles for drug delivery and vaccines, as well as for the assembly of new materials. This review highlights advances in techniques used to engineer phages for all of these purposes and discusses existing challenges and opportunities for future work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Diana P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1273-0142
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cleto
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sillankorva
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Azeredo
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA timlu@mit.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000821:virology*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D064113:CRISPR-Cas Systems; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D000071059:Phage Therapy
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral