Grant: Project Grant

Viruses that infect bacteria, called phages, play an important role in controlling bacterial populations in all environments, from deep in the ocean to the human body. With antibiotic resistance becoming a bigger problem, scientists are studying phages as an alternative treatment for bacterial infections. However, to use phages safely and effectively, we need to learn more about how they interact with the bacteria they infect. While we know that phages play important roles in bacterial ecosystems, there is still a lot to figure out about what controls their behavior. Recent studies suggest that quorum sensing-a way bacteria communicate to coordinate group activities-might also affect how phages and bacteria interact. Quorum sensing can influence key processes, like whether a phage kills its bacterial host or stays dormant and may control how bacteria defend themselves against phages. Our research will focus on the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen that can cause serious infections in humans. The goal is to study how quorum sensing affects interactions between phages and bacteria. Specifically, we aim to understand how quorum sensing impacts phage replication, whether a phage kills the host or becomes dormant, and other aspects of their relationship. These findings will allow us to design phages that can be used to effectively treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.