How viruses and predatory bacteria attack bacterial biofilms
Bacterial and Viral Predator-Prey Dynamics within Bacterial Biofilms at Cellular Resolution
Researchers will watch how viruses and predator bacteria break apart biofilms that protect bacteria, with the goal of helping people who have stubborn bacterial infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hanover, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175392 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will grow model biofilms from bacteria such as E. coli and Vibrio species and use high-resolution live imaging to watch single cells inside those biofilms. They will study how bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and predatory bacteria interact with and sometimes kill biofilm-dwelling cells. The team will pay special attention to temperate phages that can either kill or integrate into bacterial genomes and how those behaviors affect biofilm architecture and survival. This is laboratory work at Dartmouth that aims to reveal mechanisms that could guide future anti-biofilm treatments for infections.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with chronic, repeated, or device-related bacterial infections where biofilms are suspected could be the ones most likely to benefit from future therapies based on this research.
Not a fit: Patients with conditions not caused by bacterial biofilms or with viral illnesses are unlikely to see direct benefit from this laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to break up protective biofilms and make bacterial infections easier to treat.
How similar studies have performed: Related ideas like phage therapy and use of predatory bacteria have shown promise in lab studies and some compassionate-use cases, but detailed single-cell imaging of temperate phage–biofilm interactions is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Hanover, United States
- Dartmouth College — Hanover, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nadell, Carey — Dartmouth College
- Study coordinator: Nadell, Carey
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 below.