From May 14–20, 2026, the George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology successfully hosted the 4th International Summer School “Hands-On Phage Preparation for Therapeutic Use”

This year’s summer school brought together scientists, PhD candidates, students, and early- career researchers from universities and research institutions across the world, including participants from the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, India, Denmark, Romania, Turkey, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Germany.

The summer school program was divided into two modules. The first module included theoretical lectures and a specialized workshop focused on protein function prediction and phage genome annotation. Participants worked with the Pharokka, Phold, and Galaxy platforms. The workshop was led by Dr. Marie-Agnès Petit and Dr. Quentin Nougier (INRAE, France).

As part of the summer school, participants had the opportunity to attend lectures delivered by internationally invited experts. Dr. Rob Lavigne (Belgium), Dr. Joana Azeredo (Portugal), Dr. Martin Loessner (Switzerland), Dr. Yves Briers (Belgium), and Dr. Gina Suh (USA) discussed current approaches and emerging challenges in phage biology and therapy, clinical microbiology. Participants were also introduced to the ongoing activities and phage therapy clinical experience at the Eliava Phage Therapy center and other facilities under the Eliava Consortium.

The second module of the program was entirely dedicated to practical laboratory training. Participants learned methods for phage isolation, adaptation, determination of host range and efficiency of plating (EOP), as well as the principles of phage–antibiotic synergy (PAS). The practical course was led by young scientists of the G. Eliava Institute, who shared both, theoretical knowledge and hands-on laboratory experience with the participants.

Alongside the scientific activities, participants visited the Kakheti region as part of a cultural tour organized within the framework of the summer school. The course concluded with an official certificate award ceremony.  

The Eliava Summer School once again proved to be an important platform for establishing new professional connections, fostering friendships, and strengthening future international scientific collaborations.