Bacteriophages are a type of virus that specifically infects and lyses bacteria, and are considered a potential weapon against bacterial infections. During a visit on the 13th, it was learned that Shanghai experts have successfully treated two cases of superbug infections using cutting-edge phage therapy, providing innovative solutions for antibiotic resistance. The first patient treated with cutting-edge phage therapy by the gastroenterology and respiratory teams of Shanghai Children's Hospital is a 2-year-old child named Xiaoyu (pseudonym). Multiple severe pulmonary infections accompanied by gastroesophageal reflux have caused persistent lung inflammation. After 72 hours of phage nebulization treatment, the sputum culture turned negative and the child's infection was completely controlled. The second patient is Xiao Jin (pseudonym), who is 18 years old and suffers from a rare disease called cystic fibrosis. He has been treated in multiple hospitals for severe pneumonia and respiratory infections multiple times, and was diagnosed with pulmonary multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection at Shanghai Children's Hospital. In the face of numerous obstacles in drug treatment, doctors injected bacteriophages into patients through bronchoscopy and successfully carried out bacteriophage therapy, bringing hope for further treatment of patients in the future. Unlike traditional antibiotics, bacteriophages can accurately recognize and lyse specific bacteria while maintaining a normal balance of the human microbiota. ”Qian Liling, Vice President of Shanghai Children's Hospital and leader of the Respiratory Science Department, said. Zhang Ting, Director of the Digestive Infection Department at Shanghai Children's Hospital, stated that phage therapy has three major advantages: strong targeting, minimal side effects, and difficulty in inducing drug resistance. Especially, its ability to penetrate biofilms has solved the most difficult clinical treatment problems. During the treatment process, the teams from the Gastroenterology and Respiratory Departments of Shanghai Children's Hospital collaborated with relevant biotechnology companies to accurately screen specific bacteriophages that match bacterial strains through a clinical grade phage library. Among them, they selected two bacteriophages for Acinetobacter baumannii and two combinations for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Shanghai Children's Hospital stated that successful cases across different age groups and underlying diseases have confirmed the full scenario application value of bacteriophage therapy in pediatric critical illness and chronic infections. Shanghai Children's Hospital is collaborating with multiple research institutions to explore the possibility of using gene editing technology to modify bacteriophages, with the potential to achieve personalized treatment through "on-demand programming" in the future. At the same time, the hospital plans to establish a regional phage library to provide treatment options for more patients with drug-resistant bacterial infections. We look forward to accelerating the clinical translation process of phage therapy through interdisciplinary collaboration, so that this innovative technology can benefit more patients, "said Qian Liling. (New Society)