Podovirus
Podovirus
Podcast Description
Phages (bacteriophages) are viruses that kill bacteria. In an age of antibiotic resistance, we need them! Luckily there are 1000s of researchers studying phages, using them, and making them available for humans (phage therapy), agriculture, and beyond!
But phages don't quite fit our modern regulatory systems, so there's lots to do.
Jessica will have conversations with guests across the phage field (and beyond - whatever it takes to get answers). From diving into current research and initiatives, to getting to the root of bottlenecks in our field, to making sense of new trends and findings.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a diverse range of topics related to phage therapy and its applications, including episodes discussing the business viability of phage therapy, personalized medicine, regulatory challenges, and microbiome editing, with specific examples such as the journey of companies like Intralytix and Phiogen Pharmaceuticals.
Phages (bacteriophages) are viruses that kill bacteria with sniper-like precision. They can be incredibly useful for treating life-threatening infections (‘phage therapy’), and can help us reduce our dependence on antibiotics. They’ve been known for 100 years… so WHY do we still not see them on the shelves?
Jessica Sacher, PhD (Staff Scientist at Stanford and cofounder of Phage Directory) and Joseph Campbell, PhD (former NIAID program officer) talk to phage therapy practitioners, researchers and entrepreneurs to understand one question: why don’t we have phage therapy yet?
What if you could build biology in a tube, no cells required? Invitris is a Munich-based cell-free synthesis company starting with bacteriophages. Kilian Vogele, co-founder of Invitris, joins Jessica and Joe to explain how cell-free phage production works — and why they're building toward a ”phage printer” that could sit in a hospital.
Topics covered:
• How cell-free phage production actually works
• Why removing bacteria removes a lot of contamination problems
• Phages as Lego sets — mix-and-match engineering
• Building a phage printer for hospitals
• Where AI-generated phages fit (and don't)
• What it takes to get cell-free phages into a clinical trial
Kilian Vogele is the co-founder of Invitris, a Munich-based cell-free synthesis company currently focused on bacteriophage production. Trained as a physicist at TU Munich, he co-founded Invitris out of a 2018 iGEM project and has been building toward decentralized, on-demand cell-free manufacturing — starting with phages.
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