"French Phage Network" annual conference: ninth meeting report

This meeting report summarizes the scientific activities of the ninth annual conference of Phages.fr, organized by the French Phages network. This year, the conference took place from 12 to 14 November 2024, in Sète, in the south of France. The conference hosted 136 participants from both the public and private sectors, representing 63 French groups and 16 international ones from Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Guinea, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. The meeting brought together both young and senior scientists, offering them the opportunity to share their findings and ideas across four main topics: Ecology and Evolution, Phage-Host Interaction, Structure and Assembly, and Applications in Therapy and Biotechnology. For the first time, Phages.fr also offered a special session dedicated to the social and human sciences applied to microbiology. Over the 3 days, a total of 62 presentations were given (20 oral presentations and 42 posters), and five invited speakers delivered exceptional lectures introducing each session. The ninth annual symposium concluded with a public lecture titled "Viruses of Bacteria: New Allies in Human and Agricultural Health." The lecture aimed to raise public awareness about the therapeutic potential of phages in combating harmful bacteria that affect human and plant health, as well as their role in food safety.