A NEW bioinformatics software program at Flinders University is paving the way for a rapid expansion of research into bacteriophages, the viruses or phages that play key roles in controlling bacteria.
Experts at the Flinders University College of Science and Engineering have released a computational tool for researchers around the world to find 'bacteriophages' or phages through more accurate genome sequencing.
The new Phables computational tool can identify and characterise 49% more complete phage genomes compared to existing viral identification tools, according to a new article in Bioinformatics.
Research into isolating and harnessing bacteriophages paves the way for progress in the emerging field of 'phage therapy', a more natural way to target specific bacteria which pose a constant risk to immune-compromised, young and elderly patients, as well as 'super' bacteria which has become resistant to regular antibiotics, explained the Flinders University researchers.
Phables has almost 9,000 downloads across different software repositories.
Next year, the Flinders University research team aims to use the Phables tool to discover novel phages, and potentially use these isolated phages in therapies.
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