‘Lab in a suitcase’

Authors: Kishor Acharya, Adrian Blackburn, Jemila Mohammed, Alemseged Tamiru Haile, Andualem Mekonnen Hiruy and David Werner.

Water quality surveying is essential for achieving safe water and good provision, and good health. Comprehensive water quality monitoring can be costly, time-consuming, and resource heavy. The authors introduce a portable testing lab that ensures easier and faster on-site water quality assessment using affordable resources. This field deployable metagenomics toolbox advances the capability of scientists to comprehensively monitor microbiomes anywhere in the world, including in the water, food and drinks industries, the health services, agriculture and beyond.