Prof. Katrine Whiteson from the University of California, USA will join the Targeting Phage Therapy 2026 congress and will give a presentation entitled ‘The Human Virome in Chronic Infection: What Patient Phages Teach Us About Therapeutic Phage Design‘ during the congress. 

Summary:

Antibiotic-resistant infections remain a major global health challenge, and bacteriophages offer a promising alternative or complement to conventional antibiotics. Our laboratory studies bacteriophage–bacteria interactions to uncover mechanistic principles and develop translational solutions for multidrug-resistant pathogens. We have isolated and sequenced dozens of phages targeting clinically relevant strains in Southern California, and used experimental evolution, genomics, and high-throughput kinetic assays to define phage adaptation, host range expansion, and mechanisms of host entry. In parallel, we have identified synergistic interactions between medium-chain fatty acids, phages, and antibiotics that expand bactericidal activity across diverse pathogens. These discoveries have enabled the development of multi-phage therapeutic cocktails, validated phage susceptibility assays, and new strategies for improving treatment efficacy. Building on this foundation, we recently completed our first compassionate use phage therapy case at UC Irvine, treating a patient with chronic MRSA sinusitis using a phage isolated and prepared in our laboratory alongside vancomycin, and we are currently applying these approaches in additional clinical cases. This talk will highlight how mechanistic studies of phage evolution and synergy are informing personalized phage therapy strategies and advancing the field beyond antibiotics.

Targeting Phage Therapy 2026
June 9-10, 2026
 – Valencia, Spain

www.phagetherapy-site.com