How much do you know about what’s going on in your gut? That’s the question that a group of scientists, led by Dr Anna Aulicino from the Simmons Group, asked attendees at ‘TECHWORKS’ - one of IF Oxford’s family zones this year.
IF Oxford is a grassroots cultural charity that inspires communities across Oxford and beyond to create an annual science and ideas festival in October for thousands of people to enjoy.
At their stall “Battle in the Gut: Salmonella Showdown”, scientists from the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine led families through a series of activities that introduced them to the secret world of gut bugs and the tools being used to investigate them. One of the activities was ‘Micropoly’ – a brand new board game created by Anna Aulicino to help children learn about foodborne microbes and the immune system. The stall also featured 2D and 3D puzzles to help attendees understand the difference between cell culture and mini organ systems (called organoids).
Speaking about the experience, Anna said:
"After many years working on Salmonella, I felt it was time to bring my work out of the lab - to share it with the public and hopefully raise some excitement for this fascinating pathogen.
We come up with several ideas to transform our everyday, sometimes boring, lab work into something fun and playful. I’m very grateful to my colleagues who joined this adventure with such enthusiasm and helped to prepare all the games.
To capture children’s attention, I wanted something hands-on, so we invited them to create their own Salmonella using Play-Doh and let their imagination run wild and shape the bacteria however they liked. I was amazed by the number of different designs they came up with!
But I also wanted to catch the interest of adults. Monopoly is a game recognised across generations, so we transformed it into Micropoly, where players walk through contaminated foods, encounter common gut pathogens, and try to avoid 'bacterial outbreaks' and 'antibiotic resistance'.
I was delighted by how many people stopped at our stand, enjoyed the games and 3D puzzles, and asked curious questions. There was a genuine interest from the public in understanding the basic mechanism of Salmonella infection, and it was challenging, but very rewarding, for us to translate what we do in the lab into something accessible to everyone."
Dr Aulicino’s research focuses on Salmonella, a harmful bacterium that can cause serious gut infections. While some types lead to food poisoning, others - like invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) - can enter the bloodstream and become life-threatening, especially in people with weaker immune systems.
In the Simmons Group, they study how iNTS breaches the gut’s protective barrier, survives inside cells, and spreads. Using 3D gut models and advanced techniques, they explore how this bacterium evades the immune system and resists antibiotics. By understanding these processes, the team aims aim to improve gut health, develop better treatments, and contribute to the fight against dangerous foodborne infections.