First phage bank in the Netherlands officially opened

News - 16 April 2019 - Communication TNW

Thanks to alumni of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (AS) and supporters of Delft University Fund, Dr.ir. Stan Brouns today, Tuesday 16 April, has opened the first phage bank in the Netherlands.

The phage bank was opened during the 2019 Medical Delta Conference in the presence of Mr.Erik Gerritsen, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Spor. At this annual conference stakeholders from the healthcare innovation sector came together to discuss recent developments in healthcare.

With the opening of the phage bank, Stan and his team are a big step closer to their goal to offer people the opportunity to undergo phage treatment in the Netherlands. Phage therapy will certainly not solve all problems with antibiotic resistance, but in the future it will be possible to help people for whom antibiotics no longer offer a solution.

Stan: “I would like to stress that phage therapy is an innovation in the Netherlands, although this concept is already a hundred years old. There is great potential to set this up in our country and I hope that within 5 years, we will have treated the first patients. However, we can certainly use some political help as well in order to make quick progress.”