Publications

Phage have high intrinsic safety and specificity and offer a promising treatment strategy to target Fusobacterium nucleatum associated with colorectal cancer. Here we demonstrate the ability to express a eukaryotic protein in an unconventional bacterial host using a sequence designed by computational tools.

S. aureus contributes to atopic dermatitis pathogenesis through the release of virulence factors that affect the keratinocytes and immune cells. A broad host range cocktail of natural phages targeting S. aureus was effective in reducing bacterial burden in-vitro and holds the potential to offer a novel therapeutic approach for atopic dermatitis.

Chronic respiratory infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Cystic Fibrosis patients. We provide in vitro results of a novel phage cocktail targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Using a conventional method and a new cloning approach to develop luminescent phages, we engineered two phages that specifically detect a disease-associated microbial strain. We performed phage sensitivity assays in liquid culture and in fecal matrices and tested the stability of spiked fecal samples stored under different conditions. Different reporter gene structures and genome insertion sites were required to successfully develop the two nluc-reporter phages.

Recent studies demonstrate that bacterial species are present within the tumor microenvironment. Fusobacterium nucleatum is significantly enriched in human colorectal carcinomas, and its presence correlates with advanced tumor stage and poor prognosis.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare immunerelated disease. Strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) have been suggested as a potential therapeutic target in PSC, as KP isolated from PSC patients’ stool were shown to cause Th17 immune stimulation and an increase in gut permeability in germ-free WT or DDC-treated mice