04/12/2013

Looking to Nature for Antibiotic Inspirations

11:53 minutes

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacterial cells, employ an arsenal of chemical weapons. Microbiologist Vincent Fischetti of Rockefeller University describes how to use tricks learned from the phage in developing new antibiotics that may be effective even where others fail.

Segment Guests

Vincent Fischetti

Vincent Fischetti is a professor at the Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology at Rockefeller University in New York, New York.

Meet the Producer

About Charles Bergquist

As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.