Nature's Answer to Antibiotic Resistance
We have reached peak antibiotics; bacterial pathogens are increasingly resistant, and new antibiotics are scarce. Enter bacteriophages, or phages—viruses that target bacteria. As the planet's most abundant biological entities, phages are a promising new weapon against bacterial threats. Join us to learn how New Zealand is harnessing these 'nature's ninjas' to protect honey bees and crops, paving the way for their use in human medicine, an approach already saving lives globally.
Bio
Heather Hendrickson is an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury and President of the New Zealand Microbiological Society | Te Manatōpū Mātai Koiora Moroiti. She received her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh before becoming a Human Frontier of Science Programme Long Term Fellow at Oxford University. Heather is an evolutionary biologist studying how phages, the viruses of bacteria, can be used to reduce agrichemical and antibiotic use. She is the co-lead of a new MBIE Endeavour research programme to test those solutions. Heather is also an experienced science communicator with over 100 TV, radio, print, and film credits.
Follow Heather on X (formerly Twitter): @DrHHNZ
Event
Tuesday 10 September, 8:00pm @Botanic, The Terrace Level One/126 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Central
Also speaking at this location at 6:30pm is Tyron Love
