Developing therapeutic phages to fight antimicrobial resistance with Citizen Science.

STEP 1: Grab a Sampling Kit

Look out for us at public events!

During our launch, to keep numbers manageable while we scale up, we are providing sampling kits at public events such as science festivals and to local schools. Soon, you will be able to order sampling kits online and have them delivered to you (or as gifts for your friends and family!).

When you register your sampling pack, we will be able to regularly update you on how we are processing your samples and any phages we have isolated from them (so you can name them).

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STEP 2: Sample your environment

We'll send you a sampling kit and instructions.

Each sampling kit contains:

• Three labeled sample jars
• A lab marker pen to record date and location of sample
• An instruction pamplet on how to collect your samples

The natural environment is teeming with phages, so you can sample almost any water source you like. Where there's bacteria, there'll be phages!

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STEP 3: Register the samples

Tell us about your samples

Once you have got your samples, you can register them using the available link. For each sample, tell us the date it was collected and the What3Word address associated with the sample. You can also upload a photo of the sample site. This helps us track the kinds of samples that are being taken.

If you would like to be involved in social media campaigns, you can also upload a short video of you taking the sample saying 'Hi, my name is [first name] and I'm a phage hunter'. We will the use these videos in our outreach programs to encourage more people to join!

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STEP 4: Return your samples

Let us know you've collected your samples through the website and we'll send you a return postage label. Put your samples in the sample box and send them back to us.

The samples will be posted back to University of Exeter where our scientists will use them to hunt for phages!

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STEP 5: Science at work

Now the magic happens!

First thing we'll do is remove all the bacterial cells in your sample, leaving only the phages. We'll then incubate some of your sample overnight with a range of pathogens. If there are phages for that pathogen in your sample, they will infect the pathogen, killing the cell and releasing more phages. This enriches any rare phages in your sample. We'll then purify the enriched phages within the sample. Once we have a pure phage culture, we'll sequence it to analyse its genome and send it off for electron microscopy so we can see its physical features.

Any remaining sample will be stored to be used for finding phages for new superbugs that are sent to us by clinicians

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STEP 6: What did you find?

We'll let you know what we found in your sample.

Once we have isolated and classified phages in your samples, we'll be in touch to send you the electron micrograph image and a description of the phage. You will the be asked to provide a name for the phage that will become part of its official scientific name. You will be permanently registered as the discoverer of the phage and we will keep you informed when it is used in experiments, clinical trials and in phage cocktails for helping patients. Close this window