TAILΦRing the future of medicine: An interview with Dr. Sabrina Green on Phage Therapy

MIT Science Policy Review spoke with Dr. Sabrina Green, a prominent bacteriophage (phage) therapy researcher, about the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a global emergency, and the potential use of phage therapy to combat this threat. AMR describes the capacity of microorganisms, in this context bacteria, to withstand the effects of existing medications designed to eliminate them or halt their multiplication, such as antibiotics. AMR results from factors such as antibiotic overuse and inadequate infection control, making treatment extremely challenging. Phage therapy is a promising approach to combat AMR, utilizing viruses that target and destroy bacteria. Unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics that can cause allergies and disrupt our beneficial gut microbiome, bacteriophages are highly specific, limited to killing the specific bacterial target. While phage therapy has shown promise in treating individual "last-resort" cases, its broader application is complicated by technical, regulatory, and ethical hurdles that need to be addressed. Dr. Sabrina Green is a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven who has extensive research experience in virology and bacteriology. A strong advocate for phage therapy awareness, she co-founded TAILΦR in the U.S. during her PhD, a phage center that developed therapeutic phages for 12 patient cases. Her work at Baylor College of Medicine and TAILΦR involved directing research, engaging with industry, and coordinating with clinicians and regulators to deliver phage therapy to patients.