Introduction

What is a bacteriophage?

A small virus that infects bacteria, injecting its own DNA into that of the bacterial host. Phage infection results in the host's death. A phage is made up of a head (capsid), a hollow body/tail structure, and tail fibers that allow them to attatch themselves to a target host. Bacteriophage are the most common biological entity on earth but thier genomes and DNA are largely unknown. Research has shown promising potential in the areas of combatting antibiotic resistance among other areas.

Image Credits: https://www.technologynetworks.com/immunology/articles/the-hidden-world-of-bacteriophages-viruses-that-shape-our-health-397709

How does the project assist antibiotic resistance?

We are studying whether or not the tail fibers of a phage can be manually altered to infect bacteria and restore susceptibility to the antibiotic Colistin. Through modification of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) chains bacteria evolve to become resistant to antibiotics, making infections difficult to treat. If phage can be modified to target the LPS and reverse the modification there are implications that can restore antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria- allowing infections to be treated more easily.

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