In this presentation, Dr. Paula Zamora, Assistant Professor, Division of Genetic, Environmental & Inhalation Disease, University of Kansas Medical Center, USA will examine how chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and non-CF bronchiectasis create a biological environment that promotes persistent bacterial infections.

These conditions are characterized by chronic airway inflammation, which profoundly reshapes the interaction between host immunity and microbial populations. Within this inflamed airway niche, pathogens adapt through biofilm formation, metabolic shifts, and genetic diversification, allowing them to persist despite repeated antibiotic treatments.

Dr. Zamora will discuss how this inflammatory lung environment alters the performance of antimicrobial therapies. Antibiotics often show reduced efficacy in chronic respiratory infections due to biofilm-associated resistance, altered bacterial physiology, and physical barriers such as mucus, which limit drug penetration and bacterial eradication.

In this context, bacteriophage therapy is gaining increasing attention as a potential alternative approach. Phages possess several properties that make them particularly attractive for treating chronic infections, including their ability to replicate at the site of infection and penetrate bacterial biofilms.

Her presentation will explore how interactions between phages, bacteria, and the inflamed airway environment shape therapeutic outcomes. Understanding these dynamics will be essential for developing effective phage-based strategies to treat chronic respiratory infections.

Strategic Questions Addressed

• How does chronic airway inflammation influence bacterial adaptation and persistence?
• Why do antibiotics frequently fail in biofilm-dominated respiratory infections?
• Can bacteriophages effectively target pathogens within the inflamed lung environment?
• How should phage therapies be designed to function in complex airway ecosystems?

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

www.phagetherapy-site.com