PrecisionPhage’s solutions built on team’s 15 years of experience in phage research
PrecisionPhage is deeply rooted in academic research, founded by experts with over 15 years of experience in phage research at universities in Finland and abroad.
Our team has participated in several significant international research projects and is actively involved in various phage networks, contributing to the advancement of shared goals in the field.
The team includes specialists in bioinformatics, life sciences and clinical outcomes. They have conducted microbiology research at many educational institutions, including Australian National University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of St. Andrews and Laval University.
A broad spectrum of research publications
Throughout their research careers, the team has contributed to numerous scientific publications on topics such as phage therapy, host-parasite interactions, virus taxonomy, and molecular mechanisms of phage resistance. These studies have contributed to advancing phage research and increasing our understanding of phage and bacterial biology, which are a prerequisite for the development of safe and effective phage applications.
The founders' long-lasting leadership of research groups at the Universities of Helsinki and Jyväskylä has significantly advanced phage therapy-related research in Finland.
Fighting superbugs with expertise and high-quality phage applications
Our team's experience with different bacteria and phage-related themes brings together a unique combination of knowledge and practical know-how. Thus, PrecisionPhage is committed to accelerating bacteriophage-driven research with the goal of developing innovative solutions to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.
Research from team PrecisionPhage
Explore our publications in more depth via the links listed...
- Saija Kiljunen’s research projects on The University of Helsinki research group website
- Matti Jalasvuori’s research projects on The University of Jyväskylä research portal
- Liisa Chisty’s research projects on Researchgate
- Ville Hoikkala’s research projects on Researchgate
- Matthieu Bruneaux’s research projects on personal website
...and discover below a selection of articles from recent years.
Articles on phage therapy
Skurnik M., Alkalay-Oren S., Boon M., Clokie M., Sicheritz-Pontén T., Dąbrowska K., Hatfull G.F., Hazan R., Jalasvuori M., Kiljunen S., Lavigne R., Malik D.J., Nir-Paz R. & Pirnay J.-P. 2025. Phage therapy. Nature Reviews Methods Primers 5: 1–21. Read more
Otava U.E., Tervo L., Havela R., Vuotari L., Ylänne M., Asplund A., Patpatia S. & Kiljunen S. 2024. Phage-Antibiotic Combination Therapy against Recurrent Pseudomonas Septicaemia in a Patient with an Arterial Stent. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) 13: 916. Read more
Kiljunen S. & Resch G. 2024. Editorial: Standards in personalized phage therapy: from phage collection to phage production. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 14. Read more
Tuomala H., Verkola M., Meller A., Van der Auwera J., Patpatia S., Järvinen A., Skurnik M., Heikinheimo A. & Kiljunen S. 2021. Phage Treatment Trial to Eradicate LA-MRSA from Healthy Carrier Pigs. Viruses 13: 1888. Read more
Sozhamannan, S., McKinstry, M., Lentz, S. M., Jalasvuori, M., McAfee, F., Smith, A., ... & Read, T. D. (2008). Molecular characterization of a variant of Bacillus anthracis-specific phage AP50 with improved bacteriolytic activity. Applied and environmental microbiology, 74(21), 6792-6796. Read more
Articles on plasmid-targeting phages
Jonsdottir I., Given C., Penttinen R. & Jalasvuori M. 2023. Preceding Host History of Conjugative Resistance Plasmids Affects Intra- and Interspecific Transfer Potential from Biofilm. mSphere 8: e00107-23. Read more
Penttinen R., Given C. & Jalasvuori M. 2021. Indirect Selection against Antibiotic Resistance via Specialized Plasmid-Dependent Bacteriophages. Microorganisms 9: 280. Read more
Ruotsalainen P., Penttinen R., Mattila S. & Jalasvuori M. 2019. Midbiotics: conjugative plasmids for genetic engineering of natural gut flora. Gut Microbes 10: 643–653. Read more
Jalasvuori, M., Friman, V. P., Nieminen, A., Bamford, J. K., & Buckling, A. (2011). Bacteriophage selection against a plasmid-encoded sex apparatus leads to the loss of antibiotic-resistance plasmids. Biology letters, 7(6), 902-905. Read more
Ojala, V., Laitalainen, J., & Jalasvuori, M. (2013). Fight evolution with evolution: plasmid‐dependent phages with a wide host range prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. Evolutionary applications, 6(6), 925-932. Read more
Articles on phage-bacterium co-evolution
Ashrafi R., Bruneaux M., Sundberg L.-R., Hoikkala V. & Karvonen A. 2023. Multispecies coinfections and presence of antibiotics shape resistance and fitness costs in a pathogenic bacterium. Molecular Ecology 32: 4447–4460. Read more
Laanto E., Hoikkala V., Ravantti J. & Sundberg L.-R. 2017. Long-term genomic coevolution of host-parasite interaction in the natural environment. Nature Communications 8: 111. Read more
Bruneaux M., Ashrafi R., Kronholm I., Laanto E., Örmälä-Odegrip A.-M., Galarza J.A., Zihan C., Sumathi M.K. & Ketola T. 2021. Temperature-induced prophage dictates evolution of virulence in bacteria. : 850248. Read more
Cairns, J., Koskinen, K., Penttinen, R., Patinen, T., Hartikainen, A., Jokela, R., ... & Jalasvuori, M. (2018). Black queen evolution and trophic interactions determine plasmid survival after the disruption of the conjugation network. Msystems, 3(5), 10-1128. Read more
Hiltunen, T., Cairns, J., Frickel, J., Jalasvuori, M., Laakso, J., Kaitala, V., ... & Becks, L. (2018). Dual-stressor selection alters eco-evolutionary dynamics in experimental communities. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2(12), 1974-1981. Read more
Articles on bacterial immune systems
Hoikkala V., Graham S. & White M.F. 2024. Bioinformatic analysis of type III CRISPR systems reveals key properties and new effector families. Nucleic Acids Research 52: 7129–7141. Read more
Chi H., Hoikkala V., Grüschow S., Graham S., Shirran S. & White M.F. 2023. Antiviral type III CRISPR signalling via conjugation of ATP and SAM. Nature 622: 826–833. Read more
Hoikkala V., Ravantti J., Díez-Villaseñor C., Tiirola M., Conrad R.A., McBride M.J., Moineau S. & Sundberg L.-R. 2021. Cooperation between Different CRISPR-Cas Types Enables Adaptation in an RNA-Targeting System. mBio 12: 10.1128/mbio.03338-20. Read more
Laanto, E., Hoikkala, V., Ravantti, J., & Sundberg, L. R. (2017). Long-term genomic coevolution of host-parasite interaction in the natural environment. Nature communications, 8(1), 111. Read more