Group Final Project
Warning
This page mirrors the 2024 Group Final Project and notes on the 2025 continuation (as posted on the course site). It will be updated as the 2025 details publish.
Phage Therapy — Context
Phage therapy uses bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections and offers specificity advantages over conventional antibiotics. A well-known case is Tom Patterson and Steffanie Strathdee’s story (see CNN coverage).
The Project
We aim to engineer bacteriophages so they can better withstand bacterial resistance mechanisms. Building on prior work, the 2025 cohort continues with MS2 phage and its host E. coli.
MS2: the Model System
MS2 infects E. coli with high specificity. It encodes A (maturation), coat, L (lysis), and replicase proteins. The L protein is crucial for lysis; host proteins like DnaJ affect its processing.
Stages
- Engineer L‑protein mutants using protein design tools.
- Synthesize the mutant gene (e.g., via Twist).
- (Additional stages TBD) — will be reflected as the 2025 page publishes.
References
- MS2 lysis and host interaction (NCBI/PMC)
- Bootcamp Part 1 (background on bacteria, phages & therapy)