|
Click here for more information
The nature and uses of phage in fundamental biology research,
biotechnology and medicine
Professor George Salmond -
Cambridge University
This talk will set the background for the meeting and will provide a
general introduction to the nature, abundance and diversity of phages. The talk
will discuss the importance of phages as drivers of host adaptive evolution and
will outline the historical role that phages have played in enabling our
understanding of fundamental biological processes. The exploitation of phages
for genetic analysis of their bacterial hosts, for biotechnology, for
diagnostics, and for medical applications (including phage therapy) will be
introduced to set the scene for the following talks at the meeting.
Exploiting phages for
production of vaccines
Dr John March – Moredun Research Institute
Bacteriophages have a number of potential applications in the
biotechnology industry- delivery vehicles for protein and DNA vaccines, for gene
therapy, as alternatives to antibiotics, and as protein/antibody library
screening tools. This diversity and ease of manipulation and production means
they have potential research, therapeutic and manufacturing uses in both the
biotechnology and medical fields. It is hoped that the wide range of scientists,
clinicians and biotechnologists currently researching or putting bacteriophages
to practical use are able to pool their knowledge and expertise and thereby
accelerate progress towards further development in this exciting field of
biotechnology.
Bacteriophage genomes, pathogenicity islands,
phage conversion and evolution
Dr Nicholas Thomson, Sanger
Institute, Cambridge.
Whole genome sequencing has brought phage biology back into the limelight
and provided us with an unprecedented insight into the genomic architecture and
evolution of bacterial pathogens. Bacterial genomes are ‘peppered’ with prophage
or phage-like elements which not only contribute to the overall sequence
diversity, but also have a significant influence on the pathogenic potential of
the host bacterium. Perhaps the most important observation made from genome
sequencing is not the mere presence of phage but the number and diversity of
phage that have been discovered. Even though we are still only scratching the
surface it is clear that phage biology is once again recognised as being
fundamental to our understanding of long and short term bacterial
evolution. An overview of the contribution of phage to
pathogenomics will be presented.
The Role of STX-Phages In The Survival and Dissemination of
Virulence Genes and The Emergence of New Pathogens
Dr Heather
Allison - University of Liverpool
Phage therapy: the Phico
Therapeutics technology
Dr Heather Fairhead, CEO Phico
Therapeutics Ltd , Babraham, Cambridge
Additional confirmed speakers
- Prof. Mike Mattey - University of Strathclyde