Motivation For Our Work
While most deaths caused by antibiotic resistance will occur in Africa and Asia, most phage experts are elsewhere in the world:
Predicted annual number of deaths in each region by 2050
Adapted fromTackling a Crisis for the Health and Wealth of Nations, 2014
Our Mission is therefore to bring phage expertise to the developing world
How We Work
We have two different types of programs:
Laboratory Training Workshops:
Teaching phage biology to scientists in developing countries
Product Development Projects:
Creating international, multidisciplinary teams that co-develop
phage products for specific applications in developing countries
How to Isolate Phages
A layer of slightly opaque bacteria is grown in a petri dish, then suspected phage-containing samples (from sewage or elsewhere) are spotted onto the bacteria at different concentrations and incubated overnight.
The next day, phages are evident as tiny circular clear spots, indicating that the bacteria have been killed. Phages from these clear spots can be selected and propagated further.
Photo courtesy Dr. Martha Clokie
