Committees

The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages

Inquiry

This inquiry is informed by the successful pitch to the Committee’s My Science inquiry. The World Health Organisation has warned that antibiotic resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today, while the Government’s Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, Dame Sally Davies, has called AMR the ‘silent pandemic’. There has therefore been increased interest in alternative antimicrobials to be used instead of, or in conjunction with antibiotics. One of these alternative antimicrobials is bacteriophages (‘phages’)—viruses which can kill harmful bacteria but not harm humans. Though there are centres for phages research and phage bio banks, their clinical use has been restricted by regulation in the UK and EU to  individual ‘compassionate use’ where antibiotics have failed. This has been seen as inhibiting the potential of phages to address AMR.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Friday 20 January 2023.

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 26 April 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages - Oral evidence 26 April 2023
9:30am
  • Dr Tim Jinks (Head of Infectious Disease Interventions at Wellcome Trust)
  • Dr Jonathan Pearce (Director of Strategy and Planning at Medical Research Council)
  • Richard Hebdon (Director Health and Life Sciences at Innovate UK)
10:15am
  • Professor Isabel Oliver (Scientific Officer at UK Health Security Agency)
  • Professor Mark Sutton (Scientific Leader in Healthcare Biotechnology at UK Health Security Agency)
  • Dr Marc Bailey (Chief Science, Research & Innovation Officer at Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
11:00am
  • Dr Morwenna Carrington (Deputy Director for UK Health Security at Department for Health and Social Care)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 15 March 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages - Oral evidence 15 March 2023
9:30am
  • Dr Jean-Paul Pirnay (Head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Technology at Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels)
  • Dr Mzia Kutateladze (Director at George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology)
10:15am
  • Professor Robert Schooley (Professor of Division of Infectious Diseases at UC San Diego School of Medicine)
  • Professor Jon Iredell (Director, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research)
11:00am
  • Greg Merril (Chief Operating Officer at Adaptive Phage Therapeutics)
  • Dr Hans Petter Kleppen (Chief Science Officer at ACD Pharma)
  • Naomi Zak (Founder at BiomX)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 8 February 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages - Oral evidence 8 February 2023
9:30am
  • Professor Martha Clokie (Professor of Microbiology at University of Leicester)
  • Professor Cath Rees (Professor of Microbiology at University of Nottingham)
  • Professor Joanne M. Santini (Professor of Microbiology at University College London)
10:15am
  • Dr James Soothill (Consultant Microbiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital Laboratory Medicine)
  • Dr Josh Jones (Clinical Phage Specialist at NHS Tayside)
11:00am
  • Ms Stephanie Lesage (Co-Founder/Director and Chief Executive Officer at Oxford Silk Phage Technologies Ltd)
  • Mr David Browning (Chief Executive Officer at Fixed Phage LTD)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Contact us

We can’t usually help you with an individual problem or a specific complaint.

  • Email: commonssitc@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 5023 (general enquiries) | 020 7219 4984 (media enquiries)
  • Address: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA