inPhocus: current state and challenges of phage research in Singapore

• Main Authors: Verma, Navin Kumar, Tan, Si Jia, Chen, John, Chen, Hanrong, Muhammad Hafiz Ismail, Rice, Scott A., Bifani, Pablo, Hariharan, , Sukumar, Paul, , Vivek Daniel, Sriram, Bharathi, Dam, Linh Chi, Chan, Chia Ching, Ho, Peiying, Goh, Boon Chong, Chung, Jasmine Shimin, Goh, Kenneth Choon Meng, Thong, Shu Hua, Kwa, Andrea Lay-Hoon, Ostrowski, Adam, Aung, Thet Tun, Halimah Razali, Low, Shermaine W. Y., Bhattacharyya, Mani Shankar, Gautam, Hemant K., Lakshminarayanan, Rajamani, Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas, Clokie, Martha R. J., Moreira, Wilfried, van Steensel, Maurice Adrianus Monique
• Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology; Antimicrobial Resistance; Ectolysin
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/156135
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Bacteriophages and phage-derived proteins are a promising class of antibacterial agents that experience a growing worldwide interest. To map ongoing phage research in Singapore and neighboring countries, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) recently co-organized a virtual symposium on Bacteriophage and Bacteriophage-Derived Technologies, which was attended by more than 80 participants. Topics were discussed relating to phage life cycles, diversity, the roles of phages in biofilms and the human gut microbiome, engineered phage lysins to combat polymicrobial infections in wounds, and the challenges and prospects of clinical phage therapy. This perspective summarizes major points discussed during the symposium and new perceptions that emerged after the panel discussion.