May 18, 2019 to September 21, 2019

An alien lifeform known as The Helix has found Earth and is taking over the planet! Will you take on the mission of defeating the Helix by solving puzzles and working out clues? 

There are two possible missions to help defeat the Helix. Mission HQ is accessible to everyone: solving the hands-on puzzles inside HQ can be completed by individuals, families or small groups. A separate, timed mission can be undertaken by groups of up to 10 people, and is suitable for those who are aged 14+. This free, bookable experience will have you racing against the clock to work out other clues and puzzles. These will reveal more about the Helix and the battle to defeat them. Mission HQ will be operational for a limited time only during Open Saturdays and Genome Lates at the Wellcome Genome Campus. These events are your chance to visit the Campus, tackle this latest mission, and discover more about genomics and biodata. 

Exhibits

About the project

The idea for the game was developed in a series of workshops with staff from across the Wellcome Genome Campus: lab scientists, computational scientists, software developers, and many others. We worked in collaboration with immersive experience and escape room designer, Sacha Coward. Our aim was to create something different – and fun! – but to have real science at the heart of our alien story.

Genomics and biological data research is a global effort. The Wellcome Genome Campus is one of the world’s leading centres in this field, with many projects, people and data being shared and coordinated across the globe. The locations communicating with Mission HQ are all real places that the Wellcome Genome Campus collaborates with.