As viruses with high specificity for their bacterial hosts, bacteriophages (phages) are an attractive means to eradicate bacteria, and their potential has been recognized by a broad range of industries. Against a background of increasing rates of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria, bacteriophages have received much attention as a possible “last-resort” strategy to treat infections. The use of bacteriophages in human patients is limited by their sensitivity to acidic pH, enzymatic attack and short serum half-life. Loading phage within a biomaterial can shield the incorporated phage against many of these harmful environmental factors, and in addition, provide controlled release for prolonged therapeutic activity. In this review, we assess the different classes of biomaterials (i.e., biopolymers, synthetic polymers, and ceramics) that have been used for phage delivery and describe the processing methodologies that are compatible with phage embedding or encapsulation. We also elaborate on the clinical or pre-clinical data generated using these materials. While a primary focus is placed on the application of phage-loaded materials for treatment of infection, we also include studies from other translatable fields such as food preservation and animal husbandry. Finally, we summarize trends in the literature and identify current barriers that currently prevent clinical application of phage-loaded biomaterials.

作为对其细菌宿主具有高度特异性的病毒，噬菌体（噬菌体）是消灭细菌的一种有吸引力的手段，其潜力已得到广泛行业的认可。在病原菌抗生素耐药性不断增加的背景下，噬菌体作为治疗感染的可能“最后手段”策略而受到广泛关注。噬菌体在人类患者中的使用因其对酸性 pH 值的敏感性、酶促攻击和较短的血清半衰期而受到限制。将噬菌体加载到生物材料中可以保护掺入的噬菌体免受许多有害环境因素的影响，此外，还可以提供受控释放以延长治疗活性。在这篇综述中，我们评估了用于噬菌体递送的不同类别的生物材料（即生物聚合物、合成聚合物和陶瓷），并描述了与噬菌体嵌入或封装兼容的加工方法。我们还详细阐述了使用这些材料生成的临床或临床前数据。虽然主要重点放在噬菌体负载材料在感染治疗中的应用，但我们还包括来自其他可转化领域的研究，例如食品保存和畜牧业。最后，我们总结了文献中的趋势，并确定了目前阻碍噬菌体负载生物材料临床应用的障碍。