Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Paul Bollyky (Medicine - Infectious Diseases and Microbiology & Immunology)

"Do Bacteriophages Promote Antibiotic Diffusion Through Bacterial Biofilms?"

Bacteriophages (viruses that kill bacteria) are reported to synergize with conventional antibiotics, helping treat biofilm-forming infections (slimy layers of polymers produced by bacteria). The underlying mechanisms are unclear, however, making treatment unpredictable. Anna’s hypothesis is that phages promote diffusion of antibiotics through biofilms. Anna’s project aims to address this by examining phage and antibiotic interactions with polymers found in biofilms grown from Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates using biophysical approaches, including Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Anna will use bacterial strains genetically engineered to over- or under-produce biofilm polymers and Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) to measure diffusion rates of antibiotics in biofilms pre and post phage treatment.