Using AI to understand defence and counter-defence systems between bacteria and phage

Project Code

MRCIIAR25Ba Iqbal

Research Theme

Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair

Project Summary Download

Summary

Bacteria have been engaged in a war with the viruses that predate on them (“phage”) for millions of years, both sides developing defence/counter-defence systems. We humans would like to use phage as an alternative to antibiotic therapy, but it is hard to decide which phage will successfully kill a specific bacterial strain, in the light of the huge diversity of defence/counter-defence systems.  This project set out to apply statistical and modern AI methods to rich new experimental datasets, to build a deeper understanding of the interactions between bacteria and phage and discover how their defence systems work and interact.

Lead Supervisor

Professor Zamin Iqbal

Lead Supervisor Email

zi245@bath.ac.uk

University Affiliation

Bath