PhageCast

News and interviews on the phage field.
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Life Sciences
  • Weekly

We will give you a merge between novel phage research and the personal experiences of people in the field. Learn phage science and how to navigate your careers, your life and do research! Brought to you by David Sáez, Maria Sequeira Lopes and Alexandre Lima. Enjoy the show! For comments and inquiries reach out to phagecast@gmail.com

  1. Oct 26

    32.- Ville Hoikkala & Precision Phage | Cybersecurity and Control for Phage Production

    In this episode, we speak with Ville Hoikkala, researcher and leader of the bioinformatics team at Precision Phage, about the challenges of ensuring phage genome integrity, quality control, and reliable production of phage-based products. We start by discussing Ville’s background, how he became involved in phage research, and how Precision Phage was formed. We also explore the role of bioinformatics in phage production and the challenges of detecting genome inconsistencies and potential contamination. We then focus on BatchQC, Precision Phage’s work on quality control for phage production. Ville explains the problems the platform aims to address, how software can support the monitoring of phage production batches, and what needs to be considered when developing tools for this field. We discuss scientific accuracy, reproducibility, regulatory requirements, cybersecurity, and interface design, as well as the collaboration needed between software developers, phage producers, and regulatory agencies. Finally, we move away from the technical discussion to talk about Ville’s experience working in industry, the lessons he has learned from failure, what he looks for in researchers joining his team, and his advice for PhD students and early-career scientists considering a career in phage research. Learn more about them in https://www.precisionphage.com/ and/or https://www.phagenomics.net/batchqc

  2. Sep 15

    31.- Lone Brøndsted: what excellence means in phage research.

    How do you create a research environment where people feel safe to make mistakes? And how do you balance publishing pressure, scientific quality and mental health? In this episode, we speak with Lone Brønsted, Professor at the University of Copenhagen, leader of the PHAGEBio research group and current president of the ISVM. We cover her work on bacteriophages, phage–host interactions, and what it means to do excellent science. We discuss in the episode the molecular mechanisms that determine how phages recognize their hosts, with a particular focus on receptor-binding proteins and the diversity of strategies phages use to identify and infect bacterial cells. We also talk about phage dark matter and the challenges of studying phages that remain poorly characterized. We then discuss examples of her research involving important bacterial pathogens, including ESBL-producing E. coli and Salmonella, and why a strong fundamental understanding of phage biology is essential if we want to translate phage research into new applications. A major part of the conversation moves beyond the science to explore what scientific excellence actually means. We discuss research culture, leadership, effective communication, responsibility, and how to create a safe environment where people can make mistakes, particularly during difficult periods. We also talk about how to retain talented researchers, how to balance the pressure to publish with the need to produce high-quality science, and how to protect mental health throughout the process.

  3. Jul 15

    30.- Dr. Yang Shen: Why we need phages in aquaculture & ACD Pharma

    In this episode, we speak with Dr. Yang Shen, R&D Director at ACD Pharma in Norway, about the use of bacteriophages in aquaculture and the challenges of controlling bacterial diseases in fish farming. We begin with an introduction to aquaculture, discussing how fish are produced, why bacterial infections are a major challenge, and how antibiotic use is regulated in this industry. Yang explains the most important pathogens affecting salmon production, including Yersinia ruckeri and Moritella viscosa, and how environmental factors such as biofilms and climate change influence disease outbreaks. We then focus on Custus®YRS, the world's first commercial bacteriophage product for aquaculture, developed to control Yersinia ruckeri infections in salmon. We discuss how phages are delivered in aquaculture systems, the emergence of bacterial resistance, and the advantages and limitations of phage therapy compared with conventional antibiotics. Finally, Yang shares his career journey from academia to industry, reflecting on the differences between both environments, what he looks for in young researchers, and his advice for PhD students and scientists in the phage world.

  4. Jun 1

    Biofilm-adapted phages. Phage Bites: Luciana Meneses

    In this episode of Phage Bites, we speak with Luciana Meneses about her recent Nature Communications study on the directed evolution of phages in biofilms and how this approach can improve the control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We discuss how phages can adapt to the heterogeneous bacterial populations found within biofilms, the experimental evolution strategy used in the study, and how evolved phages achieved improved recognition of bacterial lipopolysaccharides. We also cover the methods used to characterize these adaptations. A major focus of the conversation is the relevance of these findings for phage therapy. We discuss how bacterial populations within biofilms are far from uniform, why this heterogeneity can limit the efficacy of phage treatments, and how evolving phages under biofilm conditions may generate variants better suited to target clinically relevant bacterial subpopulations. We also explore the broader implications of using experimental evolution as a strategy to improve phage performance against chronic biofilm-associated infections. Finally, Luciana shares her experience as a PhD student in the Azeredo Lab, reflects on the challenges and rewarding aspects of the project, and offers advice for students and young researchers interested in the field of phage biology. Do not forget that Viruses of Microbes is still accepting inscriptions and will take place in Prague from 6-10 July 2026.

  5. Apr 15

    29.- Jeremy Barr: Temperate Phage Activity in the Gut Microbiome

    In this episode, we speak with Prof. Jeremy Barr, Professor at Monash University, about his work on bacteriophages in the human gut and the ecological and functional roles of temperate phages within the microbiome. We discuss his recent study Isolation, engineering and ecology of temperate phages from the human gut, focusing on prophages in gut bacteria and how frequently they may enter the lytic cycle. We cover the experimental approaches used to isolate and characterize temperate phages from gut bacteria, including induction, bacterial and human cells. We speak about environmental factors that may influence prophage induction, including dietary compounds, and how epithelial perturbation during inflammation can shape gut virome dynamics. We then explore evolutionary and genomic aspects of gut temperate phages, including the presence of prophages lacking integrases, the role of diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs), and possible evolutionary trajectories toward prophage domestication. We also discuss polylysogeny and whether temperate phages may serve as stable platforms for gene delivery in microbiome-associated contexts. Finally, Jeremy shares reflections on the process of publishing the study in Nature, including how the manuscript evolved during peer review, and lessons learned during the revision process. Do not forget that Viruses of Microbes is still accepting inscriptions and will take place in Prague from 6-10 July 2026.

  6. Mar 2

    28.- Luisa de Sordi: Phages and Chron´s disease

    In this episode, we speak with Luisa de Sordi, Associate Professor at Sorbonne University ain France, about her work on bacteriophages in the gut and their role in Crohn’s disease. We discuss her recent Cell Reports study examining whether bacteriophages can cross the intestinal barrier and enter the bloodstream, and how this process differs between healthy individuals and patients with Crohn’s disease. The study shows that certain phages translocate at higher levels in Crohn’s patients. We also cover the experimental approach used to track phages across epithelial layers, including fluorescent labeling and other methods and questions they answered! We then turn to her recent work in Gastroenterology, where her team analyzed the blood virome in Crohn’s disease. We also asked some personal questions and got some valuable advice! Stay till the end if you want to hear it!

  7. Feb 2

    Tailocin engineering - Phage Bites: Célia Pas

    In today’s episode of Phagecast, we interview Célia Pas from ACD Pharma, to dive into the world of tailocins and how they can be engineered as highly specific antibacterial tools, work that she carried out as PhD student in Yves Briers lab. We start with an introduction to Célia and her research environment, before moving into a detailed discussion of her recent work using a VersaTile engineering approach to reprogram the specificity of R2-type tailocins. Throughout the episode, we cover: What tailocins are, how they differ from phages and endolysins... Why targetting Gram-negative pathogens like E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. What the VersaTile technique is, how it works, and why it offers a flexible and powerful platform for engineering tailocin specificity... and much more! We close the episode with Célia’s personal experience as a PhD student, discussing the challenges of this work, what she is most proud of, and her transition toward industry—along with practical advice for early-career researchers considering similar paths.

  8. Jan 13

    Phage and complement system - Phage Bites: Carmen Chen

    Today we interview Carmen Chen, MSCA PhD student in the University of Finland and Humanitas University in Milan, she tells us about her last publication "Antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii can be killed by a combination of bacteriophages and complement", where we discuss how bacteriophages interact with the human complement system to kill antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii. We hear about the key experiments and findings of the study, including serum/phage preconditioning, the role of capsular and phase variation in clinical strains, and how these factors influence phage susceptibility, among others! Stay till the end if you want to hear about Carmens´ experience as a PhD student, what was most challenging and other insights from the chat! If you want to participate contact us through any of our platforms and we will be happy to have a chat with you!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

We will give you a merge between novel phage research and the personal experiences of people in the field. Learn phage science and how to navigate your careers, your life and do research! Brought to you by David Sáez, Maria Sequeira Lopes and Alexandre Lima. Enjoy the show! For comments and inquiries reach out to phagecast@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    News and interviews on the phage field.
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © News and interviews on the phage field.
  • Show Website
    PhageCast

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