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The official website of the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science program.

The SEA-PHAGES Program

SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) is a two-semester, discovery-based undergraduate research course that begins with simple digging in the soil to find new viruses, but progresses through a variety of microbiology techniques and eventually to complex genome annotation and bioinformatic analyses.

The program aims to increase undergraduate interest and retention in the biological sciences through immediate immersion in authentic, valuable, yet accessible research. By finding and naming their own bacteriophages, students develop a sense of project ownership and have a ready-made personal research project at a fraction of the cost of traditional apprentice-based research programs. Some of the positive effects of the SEA-PHAGES program have been reported here.

SEA-PHAGES is jointly administered by Graham Hatfull's group at the University of Pittsburgh and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science Education division.

SEA-PHAGES IN THE NEWS

  • Thumbnail for Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, Therapeutics

    Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, Therapeutics

    International Antiviral Society—USA | Sept. 4, 2025

    The inaugural Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, and Therapeutics, will be held on October 12 to 14, 2025, in Washington, DC, USA. Academic and other investigators will meet for this 2.5-day conference of approximately 500 US and international attendees, that includes state-of-the-art invited talks, symposia, and workshops, as well as abstract-driven presentations focused on recent scientific advances and future clinical applications of bacteriophages. CLICK TO REGISTER!read more

  • Thumbnail for How naturally occurring viruses could help treat superbug infections

    How naturally occurring viruses could help treat superbug infections

    Dr. Sanjay Gupta

    CNN International | Dec. 5, 2023

    Phages are naturally occurring viruses that infect and kill bacteria. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta meets the researchers scouring the world to see if phages could be the key to treating antibiotic resistant infections.read more

    Related institution: University of Pittsburgh

SEA Communication: October 2025

Written by on Oct. 6, 2025 .

This is our October communication, listing key upcoming events for the SEA Community


1. MEETINGS:

  • Conference on Bacteriophages, Oct 12 – 14, 2025:
    You are invited to attend, virtually, this inaugural Conference on Bacteriophages that is taking place this weekend. There is an incredible line up of speakers! For more information and login, >> CLICK HERE << 
  • October Monthly Virtual Faculty Meeting: Oct 30, 2025
    This month's meeting will focus on Raising Lysogens
  • Phage Genomics Workshop: Dec 12 – 16, 2025
    The Phage Genomics workshop for faculty from Cohort 18. However, if you instruct Phage Genomics but have never attended this workshop, you can request to attend and we will do our very best to accommodate you. Email sea@hhmi.org by Oct 10 to make this request.
     

2. SECTION DATA:
If you haven’t already, please post section data to your institution page at seaphages.org. (This is a separate request from the section data asked for the PITS study)
 

3. ARCHIVING:

  • Tube Request:
    For all phages isolated this semester, please request your archiving tubes TODAY using this >> FORM <<
    Deadline to make a request for prompt shipping is October 17, 2025. We will begin shipping archive tubes as soon as requests come in. If you are off schedule, you can still request tubes with an additional comment for shipping instructions.
  • Archiving Protocol:
    Before you prep lysates for archiving, please review the protocol that contains a new video link >> HERE << 
    Lysate archives should be shipped to Pitt no later than November 20th. If you must ship your lysates later, wait until after the holiday season.
  • Phage Page on PhagesDB
    Please make a phagesDB entry for your phages once you’ve begun purifying them. Note that phage entries, including phage names, must be approved before archiving.
    Be sure to pre-approve all names submitted to avoid unnecessary delays! With more than 3500 students enrolled in the program this semester, approvals are not instantaneous. If you have a grade associated with the posted Phage Page, please have them submitted at least 2 weeks before the grade is due.

 

4. JOIN SEA-GENES
If you are interested in offering SEA-GENES to expand the depth and duration of research for your SEA-PHAGES students, application to join Cohort 7 is due Oct 31. The app can be found >> HERE <<



Our very best, the SEA Team

 

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Conference on Bacteriophages

Written by on Oct. 3, 2025 .

SEA Faculty are invited to attend, virtually, the Conference on Bacteriophages.
Links to a live-stream will appear within the agenda below when the conference begins.

Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, and Therapeutics
Sunday • October 12, 2025
Washington, DC • Opening Session
4:00–5:40 PM
Opening Session and Keynote Lectures
Join Session Here
Time Session
4:00–5:30 PM Graham F. Hatfull headshot
OPENING SESSION
Conveners: Graham F. Hatfull, PhD; Robert T. Schooley, MD
4:10–4:40 PM Philip J. Kranzusch headshot
Evolution of Antiviral Immunity
Philip J. Kranzusch, PhD — Harvard Medical School
4:50–5:20 PM Daria Van Tyne headshot
Phage Therapy From Bench to Bedside, and Back Again
Daria Van Tyne, PhD — University of Pittsburgh
Time Session
8:35–8:55 AM Paul Kirchberger headshot
Diversity of Microviruses: What We Know and What We Don’t Know
Paul Kirchberger, PhD — Oklahoma State University
9:05–9:25 AM Paul E. Turner headshot
Phage Evolution in Vitro and In Vivo
Paul E. Turner, PhD — Yale University
9:35–9:55 AM Karen Maxwell headshot
Prophages: The Hidden Defense Reservoir
Karen Maxwell, PhD — University of Toronto
Time Session
10:20–10:50 AM Alan Davidson headshot
New Views of Phage Tail Assembly and Disassembly
Alan Davidson, PhD — University of Toronto
10:50 AM–12:30 PM
ORAL ABSTRACTS (7 × 10 min)
Multiple presenters
Time Session
10:20–10:50 AM Robin Patel headshot
Assessment of Phage Susceptibility Testing Reproducibility and Agreement Between Methods
Robin Patel, MD — Mayo Clinic
10:50 AM–12:30 PM
ORAL ABSTRACTS (7 × 10 min)
Multiple presenters
Time Session
4:05–4:25 PM Anthony Maresso headshot
Phage-Induced Immunity
Anthony Maresso, PhD — Baylor College of Medicine
4:35–4:55 PM Tristan Ferry headshot
Phages vs. Biofilms: Advancing Phage Therapy for Complex Prosthetic Joint Infections
Tristan Ferry, MD, PhD — University Lyon
5:05–5:25 PM Jonathan Koff headshot
Innovating Phage Therapy for Respiratory Infections
Jonathan Koff, MD — Yale University
Time Session
8:35–8:55 AM Breck Duerkop headshot
Exploiting the Features of Mobile Genetic Elements to Identify Antiphage Defenses
Breck Duerkop, PhD — University of Colorado Anschutz
9:05–9:25 AM Meaghan Castledine headshot
Fellowship of the Phage: The Interplay of Microbial Communities and Bacteriophages
Meaghan Castledine, PhD — University of Exeter
9:35–9:55 AM Michael T. Laub headshot
Mapping the Landscape of Anti-Phage Defense Systems
Michael T. Laub, PhD — MIT
Time Session
10:20–10:45 AM Martha R. J. Clokie headshot
Integrating Phage Biology and Therapeutic Potential
Martha R. J. Clokie, PhD — University of Leicester
10:50 AM–12:30 PM
ORAL ABSTRACTS (7 × 10 min)
Multiple presenters
Time Session
4:05–4:25 PM Erica Hartmann headshot
Synthetic Phage Genomes: Assembly and Rebooting
Erica Hartmann, PhD — Northwestern University
4:35–4:55 PM Vivek Mutalik headshot
Systematic High-Throughput Characterization of Phage-Host Interactions
Vivek Mutalik, PhD — Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
5:05–5:25 PM David Gally headshot
Predictive Phage Therapy: The Use of Machine Learning to Help Develop Effective Phage Interventions
David Gally, PhD — University of Edinburgh

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Sequencing Status, 2025-26

Written by on Aug. 29, 2025 .

Below is a live spreadsheet showing the status of SEA-PHAGES sequencing samples (among other things) for the 2025-26 academic year. Generally, samples are only listed after they're scheduled for a sequencing run, so don't worry if the samples you sent haven't appeared yet.

CLICK HERE to open this in a new browser window.

 

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Upcoming Events

2025 Phage Genomics Workshop

December 12, 2025 to December 16, 2025

2026 SEA Symposium

April 24, 2026 to April 26, 2026

2026 SEA Faculty Meeting

June 5, 2026 to June 8, 2026

Recent Events

2025 Phage Discovery Workshop 18C

July 12, 2025 to July 18, 2025

2025 Phage Discovery Workshop 18B

June 21, 2025 to June 28, 2025