Phage Biology

Alexander Golidjashvili: Biochimpharm – has much of the old production space in the main Institute building and has recently managed to start producing his own versions of pyophage and intestiphage for sale throughout Georgia .

Lado Gulashvili: BioPharm -Has much of the original big main production plant - for BioPharm company, making vitamins, various biological reagents, probiotics and at least until recently about 20 liters a month of phages - continuing those being produced in Soviet days. He did much to obtain all sorts of equipment, from bankrupt companies, including in Moscow , and has been very supportive of the Eliava labs involved in phage production.

Lela Kalandarishvili- until 2004 a partner with Lado in Biopharm and the main person directing their phage work, was a biophysicist who studied under Rezo Adamia, working on basic problems in DNA packaging,. She received one floor of Biopharm, but little equipment, in a settlement with Lado when their partnership broke up and is developing her own company, with hopes of developing phage production for a broader market.

Sviadi Chanishvili- recently-deceased nephew of Teimuraz; had space next to Marina Darsavelidze and one floor in Lado's building, the old factory. It was some of his space that Caisey Harlingten supported and Nino Chanishvili refurbished for their rather short-lived 1997 joint venture (depicted extensively in the BBC program The Virus that Cures) before Caisey's company became Phage Therapeutics in Bothel, Washington.

Ramaz Katsarava - developer, with Zemphira Alavidze, of Phage Bioderm -head of the Research Center for Medical Polymers and Biomaterials (RCMPB), Georgian Technical University . Originally he had a joint appointment at the Biophysics Institute across the street from the Eliava, where Tsotne Dzhavakishvili, Nino Mzhavia and Nino Trapaidze (all of whom spent multiple years at Evergreen a decade ago) studied under Rezo Vashakidze.

Guram Gvasalia - Chief Surgeon, main Regional Hospital; he also headed the military medical support during fighting in Abkasian (where all soldiers were supplied with little Piophage spray bottles); has worked extensively with phage for over 25 years and virtually always uses it as part of his surgical practice.

David Gamrekeli - biophysicist, Moscow State University - long-time friend of people at the Institute who volunteers to teach the twice-weekly student English classes and is now working with Zemphira Alavidze, Liana Gachechiladze, Gvasalia and several advanced medical students on a project exploring antibiotic/phage interactions and looking carefully at Gvasia's clinical data from recent years. They are designing clinical trials tied to several supurative types of infections such as diabetic foot infections.

Georgian CDC: collaborations with Sandro Sulakvelidze of Intralytix and with Nino Trapaidze on BTEP grants related to various microbial problems - they are interested in developing phage collaborations and will soon have a DNA sequencer and pulse-gel electrophoresis system that will be excellent resources.

Georgian ISTC office: Prof. Irina Khomeriki, PhD - khomeriki@istc.ru; ikhomeriki@hotmail.com; http://www.istc.ru

(The ISTC and Partner grants listed here were taken from the list she supplied us with that apparently

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Last Updated: May 29, 2008

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