title: Bacteriophage-based tools: recent advances and novel applications.
abstract: Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacterial hosts, and since their discovery over a century ago they have been primarily exploited to control bacterial populations and to serve as tools in molecular biology. In this commentary, we highlight recent diverse advances in the field of phage research, going beyond bacterial control using whole phage, to areas including biocontrol using phage-derived enzybiotics, diagnostics, drug discovery, novel drug delivery systems and bionanotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, County Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, County Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buttimer
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Department, Teagasc, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.affiliation: Division of Food Safety, Teagasc, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, County Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Declan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, County Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Aidan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coffey
keywords: bacterial diagnostics; bacteriophage; biocontrol; bionanotechnology; biotechnology; phage; phage research; phage-based drug delivery