Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31013833›Full record

ReviewViruses2019

Current State of Compassionate Phage Therapy.

Shawna McCallin, Jessica C Sacher, Jan Zheng, Benjamin K Chan

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Viruses, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 132 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
132citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

132 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Phage as a prospective arsenal against superbugs.Molecular biology reports · 2026
    Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Advances in phage therapy forFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Review
  18. The future of phage therapy in the USA.Trends in molecular medicine · 2025
    Review
  19. Review
  20. Article

72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Shawna McCallinUnit of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Service of Plastic, Reconstructive, & Hand Surgery, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), 1066 Epalignes, Switzerland. Shawna.mccallin@gmail.com.
Jessica C SacherPhage Directory, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. jessica@phage.directory.
Jan ZhengPhage Directory, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. jan@phage.directory.
Benjamin K ChanYale University New Haven, CT 06520, USA. b.chan@yale.edu.

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is a current unmet medical need for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections, and in the absence of approved alternatives, some clinicians are turning to empirical ones, such as phage therapy, for compassionate treatment. Phage therapy is ideal for compassionate use due to its long-standing historical use and publications, apparent lack of adverse effects, and solid support by fundamental research. Increased media coverage and peer-reviewed articles have given rise to a more widespread familiarity with its therapeutic potential. However, compassionate phage therapy (cPT) remains limited to a small number of experimental treatment centers or associated with individual physicians and researchers. It is possible, with the creation of guidelines and a greater central coordination, that cPT could reach more of those in need, starting by increasing the availability of phages. Subsequent steps, particularly production and purification, are difficult to scale, and treatment paradigms stand highly variable between cases, or are frequently not reported. This article serves both to synopsize cPT publications to date and to discuss currently available phage sources for cPT. As the antibiotic resistance crisis continues to grow and the future of phage therapy clinical trials remains undetermined, cPT represents a possibility for bridging the gap between current treatment failures and future approved alternatives. Streamlining the process of cPT will help to ensure high quality, therapeutically-beneficial, and safe treatment.

Indexed as

Compassionate Use TrialsPhage TherapyBacterial InfectionsDrug Resistance, Multiple, BacterialHumansantibiotic resistancebacteriophage therapycompassionate use

Identifiers

PMID31013833
PMCPMC6521059

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.