College of Science Distinguished Speaker: Developing phage therapy against antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections

College of Science Distinguished Speaker
Developing phage therapy against antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections

Dr. Paul Turner
Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
Microbiology Faculty Member, Yale School of Medicine

Abstract:
The rise of antibiotic resistance warrants exploration of novel approaches for addressing difficult to treat bacterial infections. Phage therapy is an older technology that precedes discovery and widespread use of chemical antibiotics, instead harnessing bacteria-specific viruses (bacteriophages) to target and kill infecting bacteria. However, a limitation of phage therapy is the ability for target bacteria to evolve resistance to these administered viruses. One promising approach is to use phages that steer bacteria to evolve phage resistance that coincides with reduced bacterial pathogenicity. In particular, naturally-occurring phages can be used because they kill the target bacteria, while predictably selecting for evolution of costly phage resistance (evolutionary trade-offs): reduced virulence and/or increased antibiotic sensitivity. By utilizing virulence factors as receptor binding sites, the phages exert selection for bacteria to evolve phage resistance by modifying (or losing) the virulence factor, potentially reducing bacterial pathogenicity. Examples include phages that utilize bacterial lipopolysaccharides, efflux-pump proteins, and pili as binding sites, to kill target bacteria while selecting for phage resistance that coincides with useful clinical traits such as antibiotic re-sensitization and reduced tissue inflammation. These in vitro observations are compared to phenotypic, genetic and metagenomics analyses of microbes isolated longitudinally from patient samples before, during and after emergency phage therapy treatments. Throughout, the talk emphasizes how ‘evolutionary medicine’ approaches are critical for developing modern phage therapy, and how collaborations among basic scientists, clinicians and physicians are crucial for safely developing biotechnologies that address the antibiotic resistance crisis.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Paul Turner is the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, and Microbiology faculty member at Yale School of Medicine. He obtained a BA in Biology (1988) from University of Rochester, a PhD in Microbial Evolution (1995) from Michigan State University, and did postdocs at National Institutes of Health, University of Valencia in Spain, and University of Maryland-College Park, before joining Yale in 2001. Dr. Turner studies evolutionary genetics of viruses, particularly phages that infect bacterial pathogens and RNA viruses transmitted by arthropods, and researches the use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases. He is very active in science-communication outreach to the general public, and is involved in programs where faculty collaborate with K-12 teachers to improve STEMM education in underserved public schools. Dr. Turner’s service includes the National Science Foundation’s Bio Advisory Committee, and his honors include Fellowship in the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and American Academy of Microbiology.

Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

A reception will immediately follow in the Gosnell Atrium.

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu