Pherecydes Pharma SA

Scientists have long realized that certain viruses can destroy bacteria. Classified as bacteriophages, these viruses attach to specific receptors on the surface of bacteria and inject their own genetic material. Some so-called lytic phages kill their hosts right away and their progeny replicate as soon as the bacteria are lysed, or ruptured. Pherecydes Pharma SA, a start-up based in Romainville, France, is working to identify and modify large numbers of lytic phages, with the goal of creating therapies effective against antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infections.