New Hope for Antibiotic Resistance in East Africa
November 27, 2016 — Letter from the Board of Directors
“The phenomenon of antibiotic-resistance in pathogenic microorganisms represents a worldwide hot-spot in healthcare, since new antibiotic-resistant strains are emerging at a constant rate and traditional treatments, based on antibiotic therapy, are now failing…. The search for formulations based in phage products offers a new hope for medicine in the struggle against illness.”
— From “What can bacteriophages do for us?” by P. Veiga-Crespo et al.
We all need hope, right? Maybe now more than ever. As Board members of Phages for Global Health (PGH), we are proud to invite you to create hope in the developing world by partnering with us to develop antibacterial phage products.
Our friend and colleague, Dr. Tobi Nagel, spent time teaching in the country of Georgia, where she learned about the effective, affordable and safe use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. She was inspired to found Phages for Global Health as a vehicle for scientists worldwide to collaborate in making phage products available where they are most needed — in countries like Kenya, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of our current projects is a training program to teach 20 East African scientists how to develop phages for applications in their region. You can learn more details through this GlobalGiving link. We are excited to begin this work — yet we need your support. PGH is a registered US nonprofit organization, and we rely on donor-partners and grants to accomplish our mission. So please consider joining us through a financial gift.
Fundraising for this project will launch on "Giving Tuesday," November 29, 2016 — and matching funds will be available on that day. Please consider forwarding this email to several other people — that is the true power of online crowdfunding!
With Thanksgiving for all of you,
Karen Erickson, Treasurer
James B. Lin, Secretary
Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President