Phage and Quorum Sensing

Our research explores how bacteria use the cell-cell communication process called quorum sensing (QS) to predict and respond to dangers they encounter in their environment, such as bacteriophage viruses, competing bacteria, and antibiotics. 

We transform this knowledge into concrete methods to block bacterial defense mechanisms to develop novel and more effective use of phage therapy and phage based technologies for biocontrol.

 

  • Phage-quorum sensing interactions
  • Phage-host interactions
  • Blocking phage-defenses
  • Phage-mediated stress responses
  • The effect of antibiotics on quorum sensing-mediated group behaviors
  • Phage engineering for phage therapy and biocontrol

 

 

 

International collaborators:
Jing Yan, Yale University, USA. Jon Paczkowski, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, USA. Ahlam Alsaadi, PI and founder of the phage therapy unit at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Saudi Arabia. Albert Siryaporn, University of California, Irvine, USA. Edze Westra, University of Exeter, UK.  Joseph Bondy-Denomy, University of California, San Francisco, USA. Pilar Marco, Spanish National Research Council, Spain.

 

Collaborators at UCPH:
Jonathan Z. Shik, BIO, and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama. Hanne Ingmer and Andrew Richard Williams, both at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

 

Collaborators at PLEN:
Collaborators on ongoing projects: Rosanna C. Hennessy, Mette H. Nicolaisen, and Lars H. Hansen. Additionally, NMHK has discussed potential new projects with Elizabeth Heather Jakobsen Neilson, Deyang Xu, Rosa Laura Lopez Marques, and Henrik Hjarvard de Fine Licht.

 

Researchers

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Jesper Juel Mauritzen Postdoc E-mail
Kira Céline Koonce Ph.d.-stipendiat +4535325439 E-mail
Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo Lektor +4535334292 E-mail

Additional group members

  • Ida Friberg Hitz (Master student)
  • Bahar Hayta (Master student)
  • Amalie Høgh Eichler (Master student)
  • Elisabeth Faber (Master student)
  • Anna Megumi Karahashi Rasmussen (Master student)

Research group leader

Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo
+45 35 33 42 92
nmhk@plen.ku.dk