PREDICTING THE UNPREDICTABLE - Factors Shaping Phage Infection Outcomes and Their Implications for Future Therapy

PhD defence by Kira Céline Koonce

Assessment Committee

Associate Professor Sine Lo Svenningsen, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate Professor Lotte Jelsbak, Roskilde University
Professor Lotta-Riina Sundberg, University of Jyväskylä

Supervisors

Assistant Professor Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo

Department

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Place

Building: Biocenter, Room: 1-2-03, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 København

Email address to gain access to the thesis: kiraceline@yahoo.de.
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Short description of the thesis

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, are increasingly explored as alternatives to antibiotics for combating bacterial infections. However, despite therapeutic promise, phage infection outcomes remain difficult to predict. Beyond interaction between phage and bacterial host, infection outcomes are shaped by multiple layers of biology, spanning bacterial defense regulation, communication, infection physiology and host-derived environmental factors. By exploring how bacterial, environmental and host-derived factors collectively shape phage infection outcomes, this thesis highlights the importance of biological context and demonstrates why understanding these complex interactions is key to unlock the therapeutic potential of phages.