How can bacteria spread from hospital sinks, and what can we do to stop them? We recently took our research to New Scientist Live, where researchers from Modernising Medical Microbiology (MMM) ran two interactive activities exploring bacterial transmission in hospital sinks. Over the course of the event, we spoke to more than 500 people, with children and families particularly keen to get involved!

BioArt exhibition exploring microbiology opens at the John Radcliffe Hospital A new display of work by artist Anna Dumitriu is now on show at the John Radcliffe Hospital, bringing together art, microbiology and research into healthcare-associated infections. The exhibition draws on research from Modernising Medical Microbiology into hospital environments, bacteria and antimicrobial resistance. Through BioArt, Anna’s work explores the microbial world that usually remains unseen and encourages people to think differently about the relationship between microorganisms, healthcare and our surroundings.

Hospital sinks are essential for handwashing, but beneath the basin lies a complex microbial environment that may present challenges for infection prevention. During my internship at the University of Oxford, I had the opportunity to contribute to research investigating the microorganisms found in hospital sinks and their potential relevance to patient safety. I worked under the supervision of Dr Aoife Kearney on the SELECTION project, building on Professor Nicole Stoesser and her colleagues’ research into hospital sink environments and healthcare-associated infections.

Infusoria 26 September – 6 November 2026Artlink Corridor Gallery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford From hospital sinks to BioArt: our microbiology research inspires new exhibition Infusoria What does the microbial world of a hospital sink look like when viewed not only through the lens of microbiology, but through art? Research from Modernising Medical Microbiology (MMM) at the University of Oxford…

Recently, we visited UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) to explore the analysis of microplastics in sink trap aspirates collected from hospital environments. It was a great opportunity to see the analytical process up close, exchange expertise and preliminary results, and take the next steps towards understanding which microplastics are present in these samples and their potential role in harbouring antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria.

Bloodstream infections occur when bacteria (which are germs that can cause disease) enter the blood and grow there. These infections are usually treated with antibiotics. However, bacteria can become resistant, meaning the antibiotics no longer work, and this is called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It is a major worldwide health problem and people with cancer are especially at risk because both cancer treatments and the cancer itself weaken their immune systems (bodies own protection system).

Over the last week I have had the pleasure of doing work experience here at MMM Labs, this has provided me with an incredible opportunity and skills that will benefit me greatly in the future such as pipetting and plating techniques. Over the course of the week, I have had the chance to talk to multiple members of the team and have had 1 on 1 conversations about their careers and certain topics such as bioinformatics, phylogenetic trees, environmental sampling from sinks and many more.

Over the last three days we had the pleasure of being introduced to the MMM team and the work they do. After understanding a bit more about lab safety, the pathways that lead to a role in microbiology, as well as how the lab performs sustainable practices, we were able to do our own hands-on experiments. We had the opportunity to amplify bacterial DNA using PCR to determine whether it carried a resistant gene to antibiotics.

BashTheBug was originally a large international citizen science project that invited anyone to help us classify how well different samples of M. tuberculosis grew in the presence of a range of antibiotics. It ran from 2017 to 2021 and in that time 46,427 people took part and collectively they classified 4,746,420 images of M. tuberculosis growing on different concentrations of one of 13 antibiotics. 

BMC Microbiology - Pyrazinamide is an important first-line antibiotic for treating tuberculosis, with resistance primarily driven by mutations in the pncA gene. Traditional machine learning models...

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Bedaquiline (BDQ) has only been approved for use for just over a decade and is a key drug for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; however, rising levels of resistance threaten to reduce its eff...

Tuberculosis remains a global health problem. Making it easier and quicker to identify which antibiotics an infection is likely to be susceptible to will be a key part of the solution. Whilst whole-ge...