Impacts
Benefits
Safe
Phages are naturally occurring in the environment and have been proven to be safe for use in humans. All phages require hosts in order to multiply. Once CancerPhage eliminates all pancreatic cancer cells, it will no longer have a host.
Personalized
CancerPhages are harmless to the body. They are highly specific, and will only target pancreatic cancer cells, unlike other treatments such as chemotherapy. They also will not harm the useful cells in our bodies.
Biocompatible
CancerPhages have no side effects on patients, unlike other treatments which can lower blood cells, and cause pain, organ damage, or nausea.
Effective
CancerPhages work better than present treatments because it is targeted. In addition, it can be used alone or in combination with other treatments.
Inexpensive​
CancerPhage is less expensive compared to other treatments. It does not require surgery or any specialized equipment. It has a shorter treatment time than radiation or chemotherapy which require multiple rounds of administration.
Consequences
Preparing a Dose
It is challenging to determine the dose of CancerPhage required to effectively treat each patient. It will also be challenging to identify receptors that are unique to pancreatic cancer cells. Each treatment may require slight modifications for every patient due to potential differences in receptors. This makes it difficult to mass produce CancerPhage.
CRISPR-Cas9 Status
Although CRISPR-Cas9 is a very promising technology, it is still in its early stages. Some side effects may not yet be known. CRISPR gene editing with phage therapy still has not been demonstrated.
Unknown Consequences
Gene editing of phages may lead to unintended mutations. Once genetically modified, these phages may have unknown consequences to the natural environment.
Vital part of our microbial ecosystem
Whether we know it or not, everyday, we absorb around 30 billion phages into our bodies that help us function.