Co-evolution of phages within bacterial microbiomes: PhD in Phage Therapy

Using phages against biofilms is exciting field of research. Phage have evolved mechanisms to penetrate the extracellular matrix and infect biofilm associated cells which could be exploited to develop new treatments for these infections. A deeper understanding of factors that modulate the interaction of phage and bacterial hosts is required. How effective phage are at killing target species within a polymicrobial community, and the effect of phage treatment on mobilisation of antibiotic resistance genes within microbiomes.

• Phage isolation and characterisation
• Understanding phage therapy and host-phage co-evolution in polymicrobial communities
• Work on plasmid transfer and phage defence systems