Not only antibiotics can kill disease-causing bacteria. Certain viruses – known as bacteriophages – can do this too. These phages are viruses that penetrate the inside of bacterial cells and multiply there. As the bacteria are killed in the process, phages are considered a promising alternative in the fight against infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In the short film 'Viren als Hoffnung gegen Antibiotika Resistenz' (Viruses as Hope Against Antibiotic Resistance'), we show how phage therapy works. The film by Thomas Häusler was produced on behalf of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).
Afterwards, Thomas Häusler and Alexander Harms explain the basics and potential of phage therapy in a discussion, shed light on the state of research, and talk about the situation in Switzerland.
This event will be held in German.
Register here
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- Prof. Dr. Alexander Harms is the head of the Laboratory of Molecular Phage Biology at ETH Zurich. He researches the fascinating biology of bacteriophages and their application in clinical practice and biotechnology
Dr. Thomas Häusler is a biochemist, science journalist, and author. In addition to Radio SRF, his work has also appeared in "Die Zeit", "Zeit Wissen", "brand eins", "Nature", "Nature Medicine" and other publications. Thomas Häusler is a proven expert on phage therapy and has written two books on the subject.