Reinventing the fight against bacteria, one phage at a time.

Bacteriophage Therapies for Lung Diseases Identifying novel therapeutics for treating patients with tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacterial infections and cystic fibrosis Technology Overview Dr. Rhea Coler Bacterial resistance to standard antibiotics is growing worldwide. In 2023, one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections were antibiotic-resistant. In the United States, an estimated 2.8 million people contract an antibiotic-resistant infection annually, leading to 35,000 deaths every year. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis regularly evolves resistance to antibiotic treatment and many nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have natural resistance. Infectious disease specialist  Rhea Coler , PhD, develops innovative strategies to prevent and treat tuberculosis, NTM infections, and other bacterial lung diseases. Her lab is advancing the use of bacteriophages, which are viruses that attack bacterial cells, as highly specific antibacterial agents. Bacteriophages have the p...