120,000 euros for bacteriophage research
HIRI postdoc Manuel Velasco Gomariz receives Walter Benjamin position
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are among their natural enemies. These “bacterial killers” are therefore an attractive option in the development of antimicrobial therapies. However, this research mostly focuses on phages with DNA genomes, while phages with RNA genomes remain heavily understudied. Manuel Velasco Gomariz, a postdoc in Jens Hör's lab at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI), aims to change that. For this purpose, starting in January 2027, he will receive approximately 120,000 euros in funding for two years as part of the Walter Benjamin Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Manuel will investigate how phages with double-stranded RNA genomes regulate gene expression to optimize protein production during infection of the host. Using the model phage φ6, which infects the plant pathogen Pseudomonas savastanoi, Manuel will employ state-of-the-art global methods such as RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling to monitor translation of bacterial and phage genes. He aims to identify the post-transcriptional regulatory strategies that φ6 uses to take over the host cell.
Manuel Velasco Gomariz. Photo: HIRI / Luisa Härtig
The overarching goal of his research is to expand our understanding of RNA phages and to shed light on the significance of RNA-based regulation during infection, thus opening new avenues for phage research.
The Walter Benjamin Program
The Walter Benjamin Program enables researchers in the postdoctoral training phase to independently conduct their own research project at a location of their choice.
The project can be carried out at a research institution in Germany or abroad, with the host institution providing support for the project.
