Phage Therapy UK
Moving Towards Clinical Trials
This event is part of a broader programme of work on protecting last-line antibiotics through human Phage Therapy (PT) as a complement to antibiotics and other new therapies.
📅 Time and Date
April 22, 2pm to 6pm BST
🏷 Cost
Free to attend!
Our Mission
Our mission is to reach a consensus on the pathway to phage therapy in UK and find collaborators in our endeavour, starting with testing phage therapy for bacterial UTIs resistant to antibiotics.
Objectives of the forum
- Create a dialogue between developers of bacteriophages as potential suppliers of phage; Public Health professionals as strategic lead on AMR strategy; Clinicians as potential users as well as representatives of patient groups; Regulators and developers of treatment guidelines as safety guarantor.
- Provide a platform for exploring the promotion of clinical trials of phage therapy in England, including the following aspects:
- Potential modes of application.
- How useful and acceptable these would be for treatment (for patients and clinicians) of antibiotic resistant infections, and therefore for contributing to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
- How would these be regulated, and guidelines developed.
- Develop next steps for acceptability and regulatory aspects
- Learn from clinical trials of phage therapy in other countries
- Create a network for the development of clinical trial of phage therapy in England
- Identify next steps for promotion and development of clinical trials of phage therapy for resistant UTIs in England
Forum outcomes
- Commitment to continue exploring the feasibility of phage therapy.
- Creation of a network to allow building alliances.
- Understanding who needs to be influenced (e.g. regulators, NHS guidelines, other clinicians, other patient groups).
Agenda
From the laboratory to trials to routine use of phage in treating human infections
14.00 BST
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Dr. Melissa Haines
Clinical lecturer specialising in developing phages for clinical use
Can phages help address the challenges of AMR?
14.15 BST
Dr. Marie Noelle Vieu, MD
Public health consultant with experience in infectious disease management and health care needs analysis
From the laboratory to trials to routine use of phage in treating human infections
14.00 BST
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Dr. Melissa Haines
Clinical lecturer specialising in developing phages for clinical use
Challenges of AMR; a clinical perspective and the acceptability of new alternatives
14.35 BST
David Jenkins
Dr David Jenkins is a renowned medical microbiologist and infection prevention specialist and President of BSAC. David has served as lead infection prevention clinician at University Hospital Leicester for over 20 years.
Phage therapy for compassionate use - lessons learned for clinical trials
15.25 BST
Karen Adler
Microbiologist with a wealth of experience in researching phages for multidrug-resistant pathogens, currently leading the laboratory research component of the project
Immune response to phage and phage pharmacokinetics
15.40 BST
Krystyna Dabrowska
Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy in Wrocław, Poland, with experience in immune responses to phage, phage pharmacokinetics, and antibacterial potential of phages in vivo.
Phage clinical trials: not a novelty. What can the UK learn from other countries?
16.00 BST
Shawna McCallin
Dr. Shawna McCallin is a clinical trial coordinator and senior phage researcher at the Balgrist University Hospital at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Phage regulations and treatments; Belgium perspective
17.00 BST
Jean-Paul Pirnay
Dr. Jean-Paul Pirnay is head of the Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT) and Research Manager of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital, where he contributed to the development of the human cell and tissue banks and to the re-introduction of phage therapy.
Phage regulation panel discussion
17.20 BST
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Should phage therapy be part of AMR strategy? What are the next steps?
17.40 BST
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Dr. Melissa Haines
Clinical lecturer specialising in developing phages for clinical use
Questions & reflections from the audience
14.55 BST
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Clinical trials of phage therapy in the UK: Making it a reality
14.00 BST: Panel discussion led by Prof. Martha Clokie
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Organizers
Prof. Martha Clokie
Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester with experience in developing bacteriophage products
Dr. Melissa Haines
Clinical lecturer specialising in developing phages for clinical use
Karen Adler
Microbiologist with a wealth of experience in researching phages for multidrug-resistant pathogens, currently leading the laboratory research component of the project
Dr. Marie Noelle Vieu, MD
Public health consultant with experience in infectious disease management and health care needs analysis
Dr. Paul Robson, PhD
Social researcher with expertise in system analysis
Stephen Gordon Catto Charitable Trust
Leicester Microbial Sciences and Infectious Diseases Centre (LeMID)
