Phage Therapy changes a young life
Rebecca Palone was helped by a unique therapy developed by the team at WIMR.

As a young teen, Rebecca Palone was one of the first patients in Australia to receive phage therapy developed by the team at WIMR.
The therapy uses viruses called “phages” that eat deadly bacteria in the body to defend against antibiotic resistance.
“The amazing team, with the help of many people, arranged for the phage to be sent from America to the Westmead Children’s Hospital for my daughter, for her to be injected with it every day for 12 months – it takes my breath away” said Rebecca’s mother Trudi. The HITH (Hospital in the Home) team “came to our home, school, my sister’s home and even on Christmas Day. This was an amazing treatment.”
The therapy has become relevant again thanks to Professor Jon Iredell and his team at WIMR. As resistance to antibiotics becomes more prevalent today, phage therapy has become a solution for patients like Rebecca Palone who has suffered from a series of bacterial infections, in addition to cystic fibrosis. Her mum says that phage therapy saved her daughter’s life.
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