Leading microbiologist gives public lecture on bacteriophages
- Naked Scientists podcast interview with professor Clokie now available
- University staff and students can watch the lecture here
Professor Martha Clokie (pictured) in our Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation will give her inaugural lecture, ‘Bacteriophages: micromanipulators of the bacterial world and a treasure trove of novel antibacterials’ on Tuesday 6 December at 5.30pm at the University's Centre for Medicine.
The lecture will highlight Professor Clokie’s early work on environmental bacteria and show how it informed subsequent work on the selection and development of phages to treat human diseases.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an increasingly serious threat to global public health by threatening the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Of particular concern are bacteria which due to our misuse of antibiotics are becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
Bacteriophages or phages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They are much more specific than antibiotics and are used outside of the West to treat a whole range of bacterial infections, many of which do not respond to conventional antibiotics. They are typically harmless not only to the host organism, but also to other beneficial bacteria, such as the gut flora which they leave intact. This reduces the chances of opportunistic infections and other complications caused by antibiotics.
Watch Professor Clokie discussing bacteriophages below
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