How can hospitals be free of disease-spreading bugs? Why don’t regular cleaning agents kill harmful bacteria? These are the questions keeping biologist Fergus Watson up at night as he embarks upon research into “biofilms” – communities of microorganisms, thought to be one of the main agents of hospital super bugs.
Watson, who graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a first in biology, joined Bioquell, a specialist provider of decontamination technologies, in 2013. He’s now spending half of his time in the labs of the University of Southampton, thanks to an industrial fellowship. “Biofilms are a huge topic now. Studies show that nasty bugs are surviving in these communities, which could be why infection rates stay high in hospitals,” he says. “This work is very current. Nobody really knows what threat biofilms pose at the moment, nor what our hospital surfaces look like.”
Biofilms are like walled mini-cities where bacteria congregate and produce a protective coating around themselves. They can survive on surfaces for a long time, and are critical in spreading illness. “I’m focusing on the top pathogens that are causing infections and becoming resistant to antibiotics,” he says.
Watson received backing from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 – a fund which covers the fees and salaries of promising graduates, so they can go on to complete PhDs. Meanwhile, he’s continuing to work at Bioquell as a microbiology technologist.
Currently he is splitting his time evenly between working for Bioquell and his research. “I’ve put aside at least four years for this, but I’d love to extend the research. As an undergraduate, most of my study was based upon existing research, whereas the PhD is very much an exploration of the unknown. I am hoping to be the one creating this newly-published research for future undergraduates.”
Even during his interview for a graduate post at Bioquell, Watson was frank about his desire to continue his studies. “I’ve been given a huge opportunity by the company. The PhD research is a noticeable step up from my undergraduate studies due to its inherent complexity.”
By the end of four years, Watson has set some targets. “I’d like to see changes in the approach to hospital cleaning. What they are doing isn’t wrong, but if we understand the target better, we’ve got more of a chance to eliminate it.”
