Hadassah Working on New Therapy for Women’s Recurring UTI’s

The Ketura Group of Hadassah Greater Atlanta met on Aug. 23 at the home of Leora Wollner to discuss Hadassah’s advances in Women’s health.

Hadassah was thrilled to announce that Hadassah Medical Organization is part of a $17 million Global Phage Trial for Drug-Resistant Urinary Tract Infections. Recurring urinary tract infections (UTI) affect millions of women worldwide and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat as antibiotic resistance continues to rise.

Rosalie Agrow, Hadassah Greater Atlanta Organizational VP, explains, “This project will investigate whether bacteriophages-viruses that naturally infect and destroy bacteria can serve as a safe and effective alternative to conventional antibiotic therapies. This study is known as P-PEAKS UTI (Personalized-Phage against E. coli with IV Antibiotic to Knockout Stable Biofilms in Urinary Tract Infections). Many of our Atlanta Hadassah members have experienced recurring UTIs and are personally very interested in the outcome of this research project.”

Simone Wilker, advocacy chair for Hadassah Greater Atlanta and the Hadassah Southeastern Region, states, “Researchers from the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel will contribute their expertise in phage therapy, microbiology, and infectious diseases in an effort to generate high-quality clinical evidence needed to bring phage therapy closer to routine medical practice. In addition, Hadassah hopes this project will strengthen the scientific foundation for using bacteriophage against a broader range of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.”

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, has several core goals. One is to actively support women’s health through domestic policy advocacy, health education, reproductive freedom initiatives, and financial support for pioneering medical research and care. Another goal is to empower women by fostering leadership development, economic security, and standing up for equal rights for women and girls in the United States and Israel — and, most importantly, working towards strengthening U.S.-Israel relations, promoting Jewish values, and actively speaking out against antisemitism and hate.