CRISPR could be used to treat UTIs, early trial hints

Viruses armed with the gene-editing tool CRISPR could someday be used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), results from an early clinical trial suggest.

However, the experimental treatment, which would be used in tandem with traditional antibiotics, still has more tests to undergo before it could be approved for clinical use.

The treatment harnesses bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. Also called "phages" for short, the viruses are being developed as a potential alternative to conventional antibiotic drugs.

One reason phages are appealing is they can be incredibly selective, taking aim at only specific bacterial strains. This sidesteps problems posed by broader-spectrum antibiotics, which can kill a range of bacteria and thus pressure many microbes to evolve antibiotic resistance. Broad-spectrum antibiotics can also inflict collateral damage on helpful bacteria, including those in the gut microbiome.

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Phages aren't totally immune to resistance; bacteria can evolve strategies to survive the attack of individual viruses. However, multiple phages can be combined into one treatment, forcing the bacteria into a corner.

That's the case for LBP-EC01, the new phage therapy being tested for UTIs. Specifically, LBP-EC01 is designed to kill Escherichia coli, the main culprit behind UTIs.