Deciphering the structural and genetic intricacies of bacteriophage interaction with an AMR pathogen

Bacteriophage are both the most numerous biological entities on our planet; they are viruses that have evolved to exquisitely target bacterial pathogens with which they have co-evolved.

This project aims to use a combined structural (Cryo-EM, electron tomography), biochemical (enzymology), microbiological (phage infections, AMR assays) and genetic approaches (variant sequencing) to uncover the mechanisms occurring at the bacterial cell surface during phage killing of the multiply drug-resistant pathogen Enterococcus faecium.

The work will uncover the fundamental mechanisms at work at this cross-kingdom viral-bacterial interface and help to pave the way towards the realization of bacteriophage based therapies to treat incurable drug-resistant infections.