# Interactions and mechanisms of bacteriophages and antibiotics in phage cocktails

> **NIH NIH K08** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $185,580

## Abstract

Summary: Dr Nicholls is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)
and a basic science researcher in the field of phage biology for antibiotic resistant infections. His career goals are to
integrate high quality basic science research with clinical practice to treat patients with resistant bacterial infections. Drug
resistant Pseudomonas has become common and is a global priority for the WHO and CDC. It affects a broad spectrum of
people from children with ventricular assist devices to adults with chronic osteomyelitis. Unfortunately, new antibiotic
development has not kept pace with bacterial evolution, but bacteriophages that can infect these bacteria offer a possible
solution. Dr Nicholls’ goal is to become a leader in the science underlying the phage therapy for these challenging cases.
To accomplish this, he has prepared comprehensive research and career development plans to integrate his clinical
practice and basic science research goals. Dr Nicholls’ career development will be guided by regular meetings with his
primary mentor, Dr Anthony Maresso. Dr Maresso is a leader in the field of bacteriophage biology and founder of the
BCM affiliate TAILΦR Labs, specialising in phages for the treatment of resistant infections. Further guidance to develop
an independent career in will be gathered from biophysicist Dr Andres Oberhauser. Clinical expertise will be brought to
his development by Dr Saima Aslam, a clinician and prominent phage researcher. His research and career development
will be supported by the laboratory facilities of Dr Maresso and the world class collaborative scientific environment of
BCM. Dr Nicholls’ research is divided into 2 specific aims. The first aim is to characterise phage-antibiotic and phage-
phage interactions to maximise planktonic and biofilm killing as well as biomechanical degradation of biofilms. The second
aim to identify phages to selectively reduce the fitness of bacterial survivors and study evolutionary pathways to recover
fitness. These aims are severable in that none depends on the success of the others. However, they all work together to
guide the rational design of phage cocktails to maximise the yield of interactions and select bacterial successors with
weaker phenotypes. This proposal will directly guide phage cocktail development for more effective therapeutics. The
proposal is designed to provide a broad experience in phage biology as well as career development activities to allow Dr
Nicholls to make the difficult transition to independence as a clinician scientist and expert in phage treatment of resistant
infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10884748
- **Project number:** 1K08AI173452-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Paul Nicholls
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $185,580
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-06 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10884748

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10884748, Interactions and mechanisms of bacteriophages and antibiotics in phage cocktails (1K08AI173452-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10884748. Licensed CC0.

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