Biological sciences

Researchers at McMaster University have made a significant breakthrough by using bacteriophages—viruses that specifically target bacteria—to create highly effective, nature-inspired structures that resemble “sunflowers.” These flower-like formations are produced by exposing bacteriophages to high-pressure carbon dioxide, which encourages them to assemble into complex, three-dimensional shapes that greatly enhance their effectiveness against bacterial targets. The resulting structures, referred to as a type of “living sunflowers,” are remarkably efficient at targeting and eliminating harmful bacteria, showing a 100-fold improvement over traditional bacteriophage methods. Bacteriophages have long been appreciated in scientific research for their ability to precisely target specific bacteria without harming human cells, making them particularly promising for treating infections. However, prior to this discovery, creating a stable and functional phage structure for medical use had proven d...