Research work on bacteriophages conducted by prof. Robert Czajkowski, who specialises in research on bacterial viruses and bacteria infecting plants, has been completed. The invention ‘Method for obtaining phage-resistant strains of pectinolytic bacteria’ has been granted patent protection by the Polish Patent Office.
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that attack and infect only bacteria. Most research on bacteriophages requires analysis of their interaction with host cells at the molecular level. The methods used to date require appropriate research apparatus, specialised infrastructure, and the work of experienced research staff. A method was therefore needed to generate phage-resistant bacterial variants quickly, easily and inexpensively, especially those that are important in technological processes.
The technology developed by a scientist from IFB UG and MUG optimises the method for obtaining phage-resistant strains of pectinolytic bacteria, especially Dickey and Pectobacterium, including Dickeya solani. Using genetic engineering tools, mutant bacterial strains resistant to bacteriophage infection - so-called phage-resistant strains - are constructed. The genomes of such bacteria are later analysed to determine exactly where the mutation that causes resistance to viral infections has occurred.
‘Due to my experience in the field of bacteriophage and pectinolytic bacterial strains, I undertook to develop a suitable methodology for generating phage-resistant strains that is tailored to these strains,’ says prof. dr hab. Robert Czajkowski. 'I have optimised the procedure for generating phage-resistant mutants using transposon mutagenesis, which makes it possible to reduce the time to generate bacteriophage-resistant strains from two to three weeks to less than a few days.’
Bacteriophages are finding increasingly widespread use in medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture and also in technological processes. As Prof. R. Czajkowski explains, scientists are discovering new applications for bacteria resistant to bacteriophage infection, particularly in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Bacteriophages can cause large losses in industrial processes by infecting bacteria used to produce drugs, enzymes, antibiotics or supplements. Bacteriophages that are resistant to these viruses can ensure production stability, reduce infection-related production downtime and increase process efficiency.
Also in the production processes of so-called biologically active foods (e.g. silages, probiotics, prebiotics, yoghurts, fermented vegetables that support the health of the intestinal microbiota), the use of bacteria that are resistant to bacteriophage infection is of great importance because, as in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, it ensures the stability of the production of such foods and their consistent high quality.
Such phago-resistant bacterial variants are more predictable and can be used in longer production cycles, thus reducing costs and improving the quality of the final products. ‘Research on phago-resistant variants of bacterial strains will continue - it is an extremely important and interesting topic not only for the application of such strains in technological processes, but also for basic research. Very often, bacteriophage-resistant variants are, in the case of plant pathogens, less virulent, which means that they cause less disease and therefore problems for farmers, for example - one could very optimistically assume that bacteriophage variants of this kind could also be used in biological or integrated plant protection. Of course, we need new funding for this type of research, and we will certainly apply for such funding,' adds prof. R. Czajkowski.
The process of obtaining patent protection, from the preparation of the patent application, through cooperation with the team of patent attorneys, to its filing with the Polish Patent and Trademark Office, was coordinated by experts from the Technology Transfer Office of the UG, a unit responsible for managing the university's intellectual property and commercialisation of inventions created at the UG.
