Episode 65: Bacteriophages in the age of antibiotic resistance - Drs. Paul Turner and Benjamin Chan

Summary: Once upon a time, in a pre-antibiotic world, bacteriophages were a hot research topic in this country and elsewhere. In the 1940’s, Eli Lilly had seven OTC bacteriophage products available – good for everything from abscesses to URIs and mastoiditis. However, with the advent of antibiotics, the research into and use of phages ceased in the US. But in the age of antibiotic resistance, we’re back at phage research, and its wildly interesting and extremely important to explore. Phages are bacterial viruses that invade and kill bacterial cells: an obvious answer to antibiotic resistance. Listen to my conversation on New Frontiers with phage scientists Paul Turner and Benjamin Chan of The Paul Turner Laboratory at Yale University, get the background on all things phage research, and hear a handful of inspiring case reports from “pond to bench to bedside” as Drs. Turner and Chan like to say. Sit back and listen to this terrific podcast, and be sure to comment on iTunes, share with your colleagues, and let me know your thoughts! ~DrKF