From hype to hope for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research congratulates Dr Aleksandra Petrovic Fabijan on the publication of her latest paper in Nature Communications, a significant achievement that highlights both her leadership in phage therapy research and the world class translational science taking place at WIMR. The paper, ‘From hype to hope: reanimating phage therapy through evidence based multidisciplinarity’, was published on 7 May 2026 and argues that phage therapy must move beyond anecdotal success and towards more consistent, reproducible clinical outcomes. 

Dr Petrovic Fabijan’s work focuses on improving the clinical reliability of phage therapy for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections, an area of growing global importance as resistance continues to outpace conventional treatment options. 

Phage therapy uses bacteriophages, viruses that naturally infect and kill bacteria, as a potential alternative or complement to antibiotics. In the paper, three core challenges are identified that must be addressed if phage therapy is to become a dependable treatment option: getting phages to the site of infection in sufficient numbers, matching phage properties to the clinical context, and staying ahead of bacterial resistance during treatment.  

For Dr Petrovic Fabijan, the publication is about more than recognising the promise of phage therapy. It is about being honest about what the field still needs to solve. 

“The biology of phages is extraordinary. The challenge is translating that biology into medicine that works every time, not just sometimes.”  

Dr Petrovic Fabijan said the paper was an opportunity to step back from individual datasets and address the bigger picture.  

“What excites me most is the freedom that a Perspective article brings – the opportunity to step back from the data and openly discuss what the field is not getting right.” 

The paper makes the case that phage therapy will only reach its full potential through stronger translational science and genuine multidisciplinarity, bringing together clinical medicine, microbiology, immunology, genomics, regulatory science and an understanding of bacterial evolution. 

Dr Petrovic Fabijan said that shift could make a meaningful difference for patients who have run out of other options. 

“For patients with multidrug resistant infections who have exhausted all other options, that shift could be life changing.” 

Aleksandra’s work at WIMR is closely connected to the clinical realities of drug-resistant infection. Embedded within Westmead and connected to both Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney, WIMR offers an environment where laboratory and clinical research can inform one another directly. That setting, she said, has helped shape both her research and the ideas behind this publication. 

“WIMR provides a unique environment where clinical and laboratory research happen side by side.” 

This achievement is an important milestone for Dr Petrovic Fabijan and a strong example of the kind of ambitious, clinically relevant and globally significant research happening every day at WIMR. As the institute continues to advance precision medicine and translational discovery, publications like this reflect the calibre of researchers working across WIMR to tackle some of the most urgent challenges in healthcare. 

To read the paper follow the link here.