What if the answer to battling antibiotic-resistant infections isn’t a new antibiotic, but harnessing viruses that have been quietly dominating bacterial populations?

Bacteriophages, viruses that target and kill bacteria, have been saving lives for a century, but their true potential is only now being unlocked by modern machine learning. The race isn’t just about discovering effective phages; it’s about deploying the right therapy, personalized to the patient, before time runs out.

On this episode, David Brühlmann welcomes José Luis Bila, Co-Founder and CEO of Precise Health. Driven by personal tragedy and an engineer’s mindset, José is shaping a future where AI-powered phage therapy isn’t a niche solution, but a scalable, accessible weapon against the superbugs that evade antibiotics. From building bioreactor capacity to navigating regulatory gray zones, José brings a rare blend of technical vision and practical urgency to a problem that affects families and health systems worldwide.

Key topics discussed:

The challenge of evolving bacteria and phages, and the question of whether it’s possible to keep up with nature’s pace through engineering new phages in silico (00:00)
Overview of bacteriophage production: complexity, types of bioreactors used, and comparison with chemical synthesis (02:54)
Bioproduction logistics: using CDMOs vs. in-house hospital production and the real-world timescales for manufacturing (02:32)
Barriers for smaller or less funded hospitals, especially in low- and middle-income countries, with thoughts on hospital infrastructure differences worldwide (04:41)
Creative solutions for cost-effective phage production in remote and underserved regions, such as the potential for single-use or mobile bioreactors (06:01)
Why downstream processing and ensuring product purity is a bottleneck; the need for miniaturization and economic scalability (06:40)
Parallels and differences in downstream processing between bacteriophages and viral vectors (09:15)
The vital role of stability and shelf life for phage therapy logistics and economic viability (09:15)
Regulatory pathways for phage therapy in Europe and beyond, including magistral preparations, ethical approvals, and adapting to digital tools for selection (12:39)
The future vision: routine clinic entry through matching existing phage libraries, with longer-term goals of engineering bespoke phages via AI when necessary (15:52)
José’s perspective on building global infrastructure and making phage therapy cost-effective and universally accessible (18:08)

José Bila’s message: solutions to antimicrobial resistance are within reach. The biotech community must build accessible infrastructure, using AI and innovative systems to ensure phage therapy benefits reach every patient, everywhere.

Connect with José Luis Bila:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/josé-luis-bila-phd-3b08a5a7

Precise Health SA: www.precisehealth.io

Interested in how scientists are fighting superbugs? Learn how phage therapy and smart bioprocess design are helping outmaneuver drug-resistant pathogens. Check out this interview with one of our previous guests!

Episodes 187-188: From Biology Is Messy to Designable: The Smart Bioprocessing Transformation with Carmen Jungo Rhême

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