Work

SocialViruses: integrating quantitative phage–bacteria and phage–phage interaction networks for rational cocktail design

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Motivation: Phage therapy is emerging as a promising alternative to antibiotics in biomedical research, highlighting the growing need for computational tools to rationally design effective phage cocktails. However, its clinical potential is often compromised by the evolution of heritable bacterial resistance, which is frequently exacerbated by repeated phage exposure. This can lead to broad-spectrum cross-resistance and reduced long-term efficacy. Existing approaches typically rely on host range matrices but often overlook viral interference and the complex, non-binary nature of virus-host interactions. Results: integrates quantitative host range infection and virus-virus interaction matrices to guide cocktail design. It produces a detailed report with key quality metrics and allows users to define multiple cocktails while minimizing viral interference and managing co-infection redundancy. Availability and implementation: is freely available as a Cytoscape application and can be downloaded from: https://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/SocialViruses.

Source: Bioinformatics Advances

DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbaf239

Authors: Felipe Molina, Manuel Menor-Flores, Miguel A Vega-Rodríguez

Institution: Universidad de Extremadura

Language: English

Topic: Bacteriophages and microbial interactions

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,917