How Do Phages Overcome Bacterial Stress Responses?
Name of applicant
Yong Zhang
Title
Associate Professor
Institution
University of Copenhagen
Amount
DKK 7,000,000
Year
2024
Type of grant
Semper Ardens: Accelerate
What?
We will be exploring viruses that specialize in infecting bacteria (phages) and how some can disarm the bacteria’s stress responses (which help bacteria to survive attacks or unsuitable, stressful environments). By understanding how the phages can do this, we will open the way for the development of more effective therapies that can use these phages to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Why?
Bacteria’s stress responses provide them with enough short-term protection against antibiotics so that some can evolve long-term resistance, which can then lead to multidrug-resistant superbugs. Using phages to target and overcome stress responses is unlikely to lead to superbug type resistance, as bacteria need these stress responses to survive many other environmental conditions and attacks.
How?
By studying the molecular interactions between phage proteins and bacteria under simulated, real-life type, stresses, we will work out how certain phages disrupt these stress response survival mechanisms. To understand these complex systems we will use advanced structural biology, biochemistry, genetics, metabolomics and deep sequencing methods, and will also work with international collaborators.