AI-guided phage design to fight drug-resistant infections
Official title: PhAIge Therapy Center: AI-Guided Tailspike Engineering and Molecular Typing for Rapid Phage Design and Testing Against ESKAPE Pathogens
Funded at J. David Gladstone Institutes · NIH-11265552 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research center will develop AI-guided phage therapies and fast tests to fight drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and other bacteria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | J. David Gladstone Institutes NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | May 11, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,047,959 |
| NIH project number | 1P01AI195327-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11265552 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections or related ESKAPE pathogens who could participate in future translational studies or provide samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without these infections may not directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This program builds a high-throughput, sequencing-based platform to measure how phages interact with bacteria at every step, helping scientists engineer phages with better chances of success. It also creates rapid tests to classify bacterial capsule types and determine which phages work best against each strain. Advanced computer modeling and machine learning will predict which phages are most likely to kill specific bacteria and guide cocktail design. The work includes 3D human tissue models and primary cell cultures to screen therapies in conditions that resemble human biology before clinical trials. Two dedicated cores will ensure findings translate toward patient care and future applications.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster, more effective phage therapies tailored to their bacterial infection.
How similar studies have gone: Prior phage therapy research has shown promise in preclinical models, with growing evidence supporting tailored phage combinations.
Where this research is happening
-
J. David Gladstone Institutes
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shipman, Seth L — J. David Gladstone Institutes
- Study coordinator: Shipman, Seth L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.