Campylobacter is the most common cause of food-poisoning in Europe and in the United States, with an estimated number of over ten million people infected annually.The major sources for Campylobacter are raw and undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, and contaminated water. The symptoms of the disease are diarrhea (occasionally bloody), cramps, fever, vomiting, and malaise. These symptoms debilitate the patients for 2-10 days. In immunocompromised patients, the pathogen can invade the bloodstream, causing severe life-threatening symptoms. In rare situations, the infection may lead to arthritis, or to a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome, which requires intensive care hospitalization.
To address the above problem, we have made use of a unique technology. This technology involves the production of proprietary phage-based particles that specifically inject any DNA, e.g. encoding antibacterial products, into the target bacteria. The particles are composed of a homogenous scaffold, and are produced in Escherichia coli. They can be easily modified to target a variety of serotypes or evolving resistant-mutants of the relevant bacteria. We managed to further optimize the delivery platform by making it more specific to certain strains. We aimed to develop phage-based particles that will be effective against Campylobacter jejuni, the most prevalent pathogen in foodborne poisonings in Europe. Several technological challenges were encountered, most of which in delivery of the plasmid into C. jejuni. However, the funding allowed us to overcome major challenges, and to significantly proceed toward developing the desired prouct.
