The spreading of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria has a disastrous impact on global health, which calls for urgent actions. Bacteriophages have been used to treat bacterial infections. However, the development of phage therapy has been hindered as it relies on the use of lytic phages with narrow host ranges. In contrast, prophages are ubiquitous and found integrated in the genome of almost all multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. In this project, we aim to develop a yeast-based synthetic genomics pipeline to convert temperate phages into tailor-made lytic phages for the treatment of MDR bacterial infections in personalized medicine. Two high-priority MDR bacteria, namely the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL-) Klebsiella pneumoniae will be first targeted in this project.
