How bacteria defend against spreading resistance and their attacking phages
Official title: Mechanisms of Bacterial Defense Against Conjugative Plasmids and Their Phages
Funded at Wadsworth Center · NIH-11427042 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Scientists are studying how bacteria block the spread of antibiotic resistance through plasmids and how they defend against the phages that target these plasmids.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wadsworth Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Menands, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $386,003 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM166309-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11427042 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, especially those involving Pseudomonas aeruginosa or related bacteria.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or infections not involving plasmid-mediated resistance or PDPs may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This research looks at how conjugative plasmids carry resistance genes and how their pili also serve as gateways for plasmid-dependent phages. The team will study a newly found plasmid defense system called CpdA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa to understand how it detects and stops plasmid transfer. They will also map why PDPs infect some bacterial strains but not others by comparing genomes and running evolution experiments. In addition, they will use unbiased functional approaches to uncover other defenses at the plasmid–phage interface. The goal is to reveal mechanisms that could be targeted to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how bacteria defend against resistance-carrying plasmids and their phages could lead to new ways to limit antibiotic resistance in infections.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown that plasmid defense systems and phage host range variation can influence resistance spread, with promising mechanistic insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Wadsworth Center
Menands, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Owen, Sian V — Wadsworth Center
- Study coordinator: Owen, Sian V
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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.