Cytophage Technologies products gain federal OK in fight against salmonella

A Manitoba company aims to change the way food is protected from unwanted bacteria leading to outbreaks such as salmonella.

On Monday, Cytophage Technologies Ltd. announced it’s one step closer: it’s received Health Canada approvals for two of its products. “This is a really good thing,” said Steven Theriault, Cytophage’s chief executive.

Health Canada has issued Letters of No Objection for OvaPhage, which Cytophage has made to coat egg surfaces, and PhageFend, a product used on raw skinless and boneless chicken breasts.

Both creations use bacteriophages, viruses that target specific bacteria by binding to them and inserting their own genetic information. Phages were discovered in the 1910s. They took a backseat to antibiotics, which were more easily usable and patentable.

Researchers at Winnipeg-based Cytophage, in part, determine which phages kill which bacteria. Their work comes as Canada — and countries across the globe — turn from antibiotic use to prevent antibiotic resistance.

Phage use is limited in Canada. Cytophage has tried for years to get Health Canada approval of its products.

The federal agency’s letters say both OvaPhage and PhageFend effectively reduce salmonella enterica on egg surfaces and chicken breasts. OvaPhage is also effective at reducing Escherichia and shigella bacteria, per Cytophage.

Salmonella (a bacterial infection) alone leads to some 87,510 food-related illnesses, 925 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Canada annually, per the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Often, producers use chemical solutions to disinfect egg shells and chicken breasts prior to shipping. There are negative aspects to the processes, Theriault said: egg cuticles are broken down and some don’t survive the treatment; chicken breasts might become discoloured or more acidic.

The phage products avoid problems caused by chemicals, Theriault said. Next, he plans to do “a lot of legwork.”

Cytophage is studying product dosage rates on a Manitoba farm. Research should end before 2026, Theriault estimated.

“(Then) we’ll have a marketable product,” he said. “I can sell as much as people want to buy.”

He referenced a product Cytophage ships internationally, called AviPhage. Cytophage’s Manitoba plant can output 150 million doses in a week.

Capacity will increase by buying more machines, Theriault relayed. He wouldn’t pinpoint a cost of OvaPhage or PhageFend, adding they’re “comparable” to treatments farmers currently use and range in price depending on order.

Claudia Narvaez-Bravo, a University of Manitoba food and human nutritional sciences professor, researches salmonella and uses phages in her work. Cytophage’s recent green light from Health Canada is a positive move, she said.

“It can add another layer to try to reduce the prevalence of those food-borne pathogens,” Narvaez-Bravo said. “We’ve reduced some of (the harmful bacteria), but not really significantly.”

Cytophage is piloting a consumable replacement for antibiotics in other countries. Bangladeshi and European farms have been research sites for AviPhage, a phage-based solution that animals drink with water.

Another study is beginning in Brazil next month, Theriault shared.

“Canada, regulatory wise, is really hard to get new products in that are … for treatment,” he said.

He’s hoping to sell AviPhage in Brazil and Europe by the end of the year. The European Union banned routine antibiotic use on farm animals in 2022.

It’s common for Manitoba bioscience companies to move their research out of Canada due to red tape, said Andrea Ladouceur, president of Bioscience Association Manitoba.

“We need to look at our regulatory processes and make sure that they are safe and they do their job — but they have to be more efficient and more time bound,” she said.

Health Canada’s approval of Cytophage’s products is a “wonderful milestone” for the sector, Ladouceur said.

“This is a huge win for Manitoba, to have a company like this that is leading,” she continued. “We know their future is going to be big and bright.”

Cytophage employs roughly 16 people.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com