****BEFORE DONATING PLEASE READ THE INFO ON HOW TO ENTER THE VIRUS NAMING DRAW****

How do I enter the raffle?

When donating, you will need to consent to sharing your contact details with me - this step is really important because unless you do this, I cannot see your email address and contact you if you are a winner!

You need to tick the box that says 'I’m happy to share my contact details with Meaghan C for the purpose of thanking me.' on the check-out page.

As a back-up, I have created the below google Form - when indicating your donation amount, *******please indicate the value in GBP********. >You do not need to do both if you share your contact details above.<

This will allow me to enter your name in the correct number of times into the draw. Any individuals who indicated a false amount (confirmed via receipt after the draw closes) will have their name withdrawn and a new winner will be selected. Because this requires an extra step, it would be preferable for individuals to primarily share their email via the check-out step above. I will be checking for duplicate entries.

https://forms.gle/bc68FFg1RzueUjATA

The draw will close on the 30th November 2025 - I have allowed a long time for this draw to try raise as much money as possible, and be able to run this effectively alongside my work commitments.

£2 = 1 entry. So £10 will put your name into the draw 5x. Phages will be randomly allocated to each winner and there will only be one phage per winner (9 winners total). So the more you donate, the more likely you will be chosen, but if you are chosen, your name will be removed for the next draw.

What are these viruses?

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses which infect and kill bacteria. They are the most ubiquitous life-form on Earth, with approximately 1 trillion phage for every grain of sand.

What's particularly special about phage is that they can be used to treat bacterial infections - allowing us to combat resistant bacteria such as MRSA! The antimicrobial resistance crisis is growing, meaning our antibiotics are becoming less effective.

Of all individuals, those with cystic fibrosis will be most affected by this crisis. The mucus which builds up in their lungs becomes a breeding ground for bacteria which must be treated with antibiotics. As a result, individuals with cystic fibrosis will usually end up with a resistant infection that can no longer be effectively treated. Here, phages offer a real hope against these untreatable infections.

In my research, I work to understand how phages interact with their bacterial hosts. Part of my work specifically deals with phage therapy case studies, while my wider work also aims to understand phages more broadly - while not all these phages are used therapeutically, all the research we do with phage helps us understand how they work which is critical if we are to use them regularly in treatment.

In the last year, we have 9 newly discovered phage which we will be using in our work to understand how phage behave in microbial communities. They have all had their genomes sequenced and their pictures taken, and now they're ready to be named! In an effort to raise money for charity, I will be giving 9 people the chance to pick names for these phages.

Are there rules?

The names of these phages will appear on genetic databases, scientific publications and will be mentioned at conferences. Therefore, there are rules for naming phages but it can still be fun! Some recent fun names include AngryGiraffe and KillerQueen.

We will be following these set of rules published here:

https://phagesdb.org/namerules/

We will not be taking any names at this stage - you will be contacted after the event closes if you are a winner. At this stage, we will discuss with you your name ideas. Please keep an eye on your emails.

The rules for naming phages in publications can change but we will ensure your phage name is represented in some format. E.g. it may be the case in publication that we may need to translate your name to latin - in this event, the phage name will appear as common and latin translations.

Why Cystic Fibrosis Trust?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition which causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects more than 11,000 people in the UK. One in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.

Cystic fibrosis comes with challenges, affecting our physical health, mental wellbeing and how we choose to live our lives. But our community is uniting towards the ultimate goal of effective treatment for all.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust is the charity uniting people to stop cystic fibrosis.