Basel’s valuable virus collection for worldwide research

Researchers taking samples from the Rhine River in order to isolate new phages. (Photo: University of Basel, Biozentrum) - Phages are viruses that infect bacteria. They are an important part of many of the Earth's ecosystems and can also play a role in the fight against antibiotic resistant pathogens. A research team from the University of Basel's Biozentrum has now compiled a significant phage collection. It is available to scientists around the world for research purposes, as a biotech tool or to explore which phages are most suitable for therapy. The abundance and diversity of viruses on our planet is unimaginable. It is estimated that there are about a trillion virus particles on each grain of sand.