Skin phageome:
Phages are the most abundant organisms on earth, there are currently an estimated 1031 different species accounting for 40% of bacterial cell death. They are highly specific often targeting bacteria on subspecies level and therefore making off-targets effects on the human microbiome unlikely. Consequently, there is significant optimism regarding the potential of phages to act as a substitute for antibiotics.
We try to advance data-driven phage susceptibility screenings techniques using publicly available databases large-scale dataset alongside with datasets produced in our lab. In order to enhance and verify these predictions, we started the cultivation of bacteria and their corresponding phages, which infect these bacteria, derived from the human skin. By using this combination of bioinformatic and experimental approaches, we hope to develop a pipeline for prioritizing phages based on their safety profiles and their ability to target specific bacterial strains.
People involved in the project: Matthias Wielscher, Karin Pfisterer, Lea Lemajić, David Samardžić