High-throughput tests to compare how natural and engineered receptor binding proteins work against bacteria
Official title: High-Throughput Assays for Direct Comparison of Recognition and Entry via Natural and Engineered Receptor Binding Proteins
Funded at J. David Gladstone Institutes · NIH-11265556 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A streamlined set of rapid sequencing-based tests will measure different steps of phage infection to help develop personalized phage therapies for troublesome 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) | $505,129 |
| NIH project number | 1P01AI195327-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11265556 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include patients with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria where phage therapy is being explored or could be considered in the future.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not involved in phage therapy research or without infections related to antibiotic-resistant bacteria may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates fast, sequencing-based methods to separately measure how well a phage recognizes a bacterium, enters it, replicates, packages new genomes, and causes lysis. By using multiplexed barcodes and reporter systems, it will compare many phages and bacterial strains at once, including tests in human airway organoids to find off-target effects. The goal is to provide precise, quantitative readouts of each infection step so researchers can optimize phage therapy for stubborn infections like those caused by ESKAPE pathogens. The work combines innovative assays with controlled experiments to separate each stage of the infection process. If successful, these tools could accelerate development of safer, more effective phage-based treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could speed up the creation of targeted phage therapies for difficult bacterial infections and reduce collateral effects by revealing how each infection step proceeds.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown that dissecting infection steps can improve phage therapy design, though this exact high-throughput, multiplexed approach is innovative.
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
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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.