Unfortunately, we are still unsure of our phage’s cluster. This is due to the fact that we got our HTL, but our experiment did not progress much past this point.
Although a lot of research has been done on phage therapy, it remains a second option to most antibiotic treatments. However, on the occasion that antibiotics do not work, phage therapy is an amazing solution. It is also difficult to create the perfect phage ‘cocktail’ to cure a patient and requires extensive testing.
You mention examining different ways, like chemically or through radiation, to induce the lytic cycle on the temperate phage in your future directions. Do you have an opinion on which way would be the best way/first way to try going about that?
Because radiation tends to carry a negative connotation with it, I think going about the chemical route first would be important. This could be a pH change, or the addition of a non-harmful chemical to the bacteria in order to remove the repressor protein and induce the lysogen into the lytic cycle.
I personally want to see the ways in which my specific phage can be utilized in the form of phage therapy. I hope to see my phage among those that helped cure a patient with a severe bacterial infection.
Do you have any guess about which cluster your phage might belong to?
Unfortunately, we are still unsure of our phage’s cluster. This is due to the fact that we got our HTL, but our experiment did not progress much past this point.
How often is phage therapy used as a treatment for bacterial infections?
Although a lot of research has been done on phage therapy, it remains a second option to most antibiotic treatments. However, on the occasion that antibiotics do not work, phage therapy is an amazing solution. It is also difficult to create the perfect phage ‘cocktail’ to cure a patient and requires extensive testing.
You mention examining different ways, like chemically or through radiation, to induce the lytic cycle on the temperate phage in your future directions. Do you have an opinion on which way would be the best way/first way to try going about that?
Because radiation tends to carry a negative connotation with it, I think going about the chemical route first would be important. This could be a pH change, or the addition of a non-harmful chemical to the bacteria in order to remove the repressor protein and induce the lysogen into the lytic cycle.
What future research do you personally want to see done with your phage?
I personally want to see the ways in which my specific phage can be utilized in the form of phage therapy. I hope to see my phage among those that helped cure a patient with a severe bacterial infection.