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Superbugs Unplugged
A joint project of Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, this monthly podcast will delve into the critical health threat of antibiotic resistance and what drives it, including antibiotic use in agriculture and human health care, challenges and opportunities in R&D, and more. Co-hosts Dr. Lance Price and Dr. Jau Graham will cover a new topic and feature an expert guest every month. Have questions or want to make suggestions? Write to us at SuperBugsUnplugged@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: @battlesuperbugs @UCBerkeleySPH.
Superbugs Unplugged
Designing the Perfect Predator: Phage Therapy
On this episode, we are taking a closer look at the extremely real, human threat of antibiotic resistant infections, and discussing how momentum for beating these harmful bugs can start from just one person with a determination to find a solution. Co-host Matthew Wellington from U.S. PIRG interviewed Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, co-author of the book The Perfect Predator - A Scientist’s Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug. Dr. Strathdee is the Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences, Harold Simon Professor at the University of California San Diego School (UCSD) of Medicine and Co-Director at the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics. In this episode, she tells the story of how her husband, Tom Patterson, was infected with a bacteria that was resistant to all available antibiotics and how doctors and researchers from around the world saved his life with a hundred year old forgotten cure—phage therapy—that shows promise as a weapon to tackle the global superbug crisis. Her husband co-authored the book with her and is also a renowned scientist at UCSD. To wrap up, Matt will dive into the news and updates currently chiming across the world of antibiotic resistance.