We have developed a range of hands on activities that can be used to enhance teaching and learning about phage. We have run plaque assay practical’s and phage-decoration making workshops in schools, universities and festivals.

The act of making and doing enables deeper learning. Members of our team could come to deliver a bespoke workshop or we can offer advice if you would like to run your own phage making workshop.

nOT ALL VIRUSES ARE BAD

There are trillions upon trillions and more bacteriophages, also referred to simply as phages, which are viruses that specifically infect bacteria and inhabit every niche on our planet. Phages are fundamental to many of Earth’s natural biological processes including the evolution of life!

bacteriophages play diverse roles

They all infect bacteria. However, each type of phage is highly specific for a certain type of bacteria. Some phages kill their bacterial targets, others give them superpowers. Bacteria are in a continual co-evolutionary dance with phage partners and aggressors.

THE PLAQUE ASSAY

research is worthwhile

We have known about the existence of phage for just over 100 years, but there is still so much we don’t know about phage. Though there is much promise for their use in therapies to treat bacterial infections, they can also help bacteria to fight back against us.

The most common method used to isolate and study phages is called a plaque assay. This video demonstrates how. Our teams can provide safe strains of bacteria and phages to demonstrate this in a laboratory practical class.

Get in touch if you would like advise on how to run a practical workshop on phages in the lab.

FABERGE PHAGE

Download this template and make your own giant phage particle- note the distinctive icosahedral shape of the phage head. Why not add adhesive jewels to jazz it up! We can run phage making workshops-get in touch to found out more

If you would like to to host a phage workshop in a school or public event- contact us to found out more: c.james@salford.ac.uk or Hallison@liverpool.ac.uk