My project aims to develop safe and effective treatments against multidrug-resistant bacteria using bacteriophages (phages), viruses that selectively kill bacteria, as an alternative to antibiotics. It focuses on the opportunistic bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and aims to design “stealth” phages that kill bacteria without activating bacterial virulence and antiphage defenses systems.

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Antibiotic resistance is an urgent global health threat, and phage therapy offers a promising alternative. However, in P. aeruginosa phages can trigger undesired side effects through activation of a bacterial signaling system known as quorum sensing. Preventing these side effects is essential to develop safer, more effective therapies against antibiotic resistant infections.

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This project will identify which bacterial genes are activated during phage infection and use this knowledge to create genetically engineered “stealth” phages that can block this response. The safety and effectiveness of these new phages will be evaluated using biofilmand infection models that mimic clinical conditions

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