Boyd English will be 76 years old in July and is looking forward to riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle this summer, thanks to researchers at the Cumming School of Medicine.
"Prior to this treatment, I was in bed up to 20 hours a day due to the pain. My artificial hip was constantly infected. It was often an open wound that wouldn't close or heal," says English. "Since Dr. Vaughan performed the treatment, the wound has closed. I can sleep through the night again. I'm walking without the use of a walker and back riding my motorcycle. It's unbelievable how much this unique treatment has improved my life."
Personalized approach to treating infection
Dr. Stephen Vaughan, MD, an Alberta Health Services infectious disease specialist and clinical associate professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), recommended a personalized medicine approach to administer a virus (bacteriophage) to attack the specific bacterial infection English had.
"We are past the six-month mark and there is no sign of infection. All tests indicate the infection has been eradicated," says Vaughan. "Boyd had been dealing with this infection for more than 10 years. We needed a Hail Mary. The trajectory of his infection could have resulted in a leg amputation at some point, or even death."
English was one of millions of people throughout the world dealing with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Put simply it means antibiotics aren't working and the bacteria have become resistant to treatment. The World Health Organization has identified AMR as one of the top global public health threats.
To treat English, Vaughan looked back in history to research solutions that didn't require antibiotics.
"This approach actually predates the Second World War and was used as a treatment for infections prior to antibiotics even existing," says Vaughan, a researcher with the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the CSM.
Viruses that attack and destroy bacteria
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate only in bacteria, are harmless to humans and exist in nature. There are millions and millions of them (1031) more than any other organism on earth. Acting as a natural predator, bacteriophages select and infect the bacteria, then replicate until the bacteria burst. The activity benefits the site of infection while leaving other cells unharmed. The therapy was largely abandoned when antibiotics proved so effective. Now, with the growth of AMR, the therapy has re-emerged as a promising alternative.
Vaughan spoke with an infectious disease colleague at the University of Toronto, Dr. Greg German, MD, PhD, who had experience with this therapy and referred Vaughan to Qeen Biotechnologies, a Canadian company that isolates and specially formulates a treatment.
"Our extensive library of bacteriophages enables us to precisely screen for specific infections and develop customized therapeutic blends with the potential to deliver highly effective, targeted treatments," says Nancy Tawil, CEO of Qeen Biotechnologies.
Obtaining Health Canada approval for research study
Vaughan obtained Health Canada approval for the experimental treatment, which was administered as part of a research study. English underwent a surgical procedure on November 20, 2024, that introduced the bacteriophages to the infected area, followed by twice-daily intravenous phage infusions for 14 days.
With the success of English's treatment, Vaughan and the infectious disease team have administered phage therapy to one other patient and are considering phage therapy for a third. Vaughan estimates that there are up to 20 patients in Alberta who could potentially benefit from this treatment over the next year or two.
Vaughan says in Canada, to his knowledge, only a handful of patients have undergone bacteriophage therapy. A large-scale trial is currently underway at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
Stephen Vaughan is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine and member of the Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the Cumming School of Medicine.
