In the face of the global rise of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the Center for Research in Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages (CEPID B3) has established itself as one of Brazil’s leading references in phage therapy research. This is highlighted in a report published last Tuesday (4) by Pesquisa FAPESP magazine, which identifies the center as one of the key players laying the scientific groundwork for the future clinical use of bacteriophages in Brazil.

According to the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Report 2025, released in October, one in six bacterial infections worldwide is already resistant to available treatments. In Brazil, data from the Ministry of Health indicate more than 34,000 deaths per year directly linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this context, alternative strategies such as phage therapy—the use of specific viruses, known as bacteriophages or phages, to target and eliminate disease-causing bacteria—hold promise for reducing adverse health outcomes.

Currently, the therapeutic use of phages in Brazil is permitted only on a compassionate basis—that is, when other treatment options have failed and there is an imminent risk of death. Despite a restrictive and still-evolving regulatory landscape, Brazilian research groups such as CEPID B3 have made rapid progress. The team brings together more than 160 researchers from diverse fields, working across 22 laboratories and affiliated with institutions that rank among Brazil’s leading research centers: the University of São Paulo (USP), the University of Campinas (Unicamp), São Paulo State University (Unesp), the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), and the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC).

In addition to investigating the biology of bacteriophages and their interactions with bacteria and hosts, CEPID B3 has been advancing efforts to translate this knowledge into clinical practice. Phage therapy, already in use in countries such as Belgium and Portugal, has been the focus of a scientific partnership established about five years ago with the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine (HC-FMUSP). The collaboration provides access to real clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant bacteria and supports the development of a clinical-use protocol currently under preparation. The goal is to expand the capacity to respond to difficult-to-treat infections with greater speed and precision.

Amid the quiet yet alarming rise of bacterial resistance, the recognition by Pesquisa FAPESP positions CEPID B3 as a central hub in a scientific effort aimed at transforming basic research into clinical solutions. Although Brazil was among the pioneering countries in phage therapy, the approach remained on the margins of medical practice for decades. By reviving and modernizing this field through cutting-edge research, the center helps place Brazilian science back at the forefront of one of the most complex and urgent challenges in contemporary public health.

Read the full report published by Pesquisa FAPESP: “Phage therapy advances in Brazil as an alternative against superbugs”.

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