The search for new bacteriophages remains a key goal in modern phage therapy. Although these bacterial viruses are the most numerous biological entities on Earth, most of them remain unknown to science. This is because when analyzing environmental samples or the human microbiome, researchers obtain vast amounts of fragmented genetic information, making it extremely difficult to reconstruct complete bacteriophage genomes.

In July 2026, in the journal Nature Biotechnology, an international team of scientists presented a new computational tool, PALACE , capable of significantly improving the accuracy of reconstructing complete bacteriophage genomes from metagenomic data. Unlike traditional methods, the new algorithm better "assembles" disparate fragments of genetic information, enabling the identification of significantly more complete phage genomes and reducing analysis errors.

During testing, PALACE demonstrated superior results compared to existing methods. This enabled the researchers to discover a large number of previously unknown bacteriophages and study their genetic structure in greater detail. This opens new possibilities for studying the diversity of phages in nature and their interactions with bacteria.

This achievement is particularly significant for the development of phage therapy. The more bacteriophages that can be detected and characterized, the greater the potential for creating personalized treatment regimens. In the future, this may help more quickly identify phages against specific multidrug-resistant bacteria when conventional antibiotics are no longer effective.

The authors emphasize that PALACE is not a treatment. It is a modern research tool that significantly accelerates the discovery of new bacteriophages. At the same time, these technologies provide the foundation for the development of personalized phage therapy and may bring about new, effective approaches to combating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.