The new networks will support diverse teams of AMR researchers, ranging from specialists in agriculture, food and the environment to human and animal medicine, policy and behavioural studies, engineering and social science.
Developing new approaches
Together they’ll develop new approaches to tackling AMR across sectors and disciplines, including:
- culture
- economics
- behaviour
- biomedical and physical sciences
- design and engineering
- environmental sciences
They will share £4.8 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), awarded as part of its tackling infections strategic theme.
This programme will continue next year with a new opportunity for ambitious new transdisciplinary research programmes, drawing on a dedicated budget of at least £7 million.
Tackling a large, complex problem
Dr Colin Miles, Head of Strategy, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Growth at UKRI, said:
Tackling the creeping pandemic of anti-microbial resistance – increasing resistance to antibiotics – is a large, complex problem.
Ten million people each year are expected to lose their lives to it by 2050.
Rather than taking single-discipline approaches, we need researchers from across disciplines to come together and look at all aspects of the problem – from human behaviour and how we grow crops and rear animals for consumption to how we manage the environment or use technology, clinical management strategies and challenging established cultural norms.
The networks
The networks are:
AMR in Agrifood Systems Transdisciplinary (AMAST) Network
The AMAST Network will coordinate the agri-food transdisciplinary community engaged in AMR activities covering crop, livestock and aquaculture sectors.
The network will engage in interactions with industry, trade associations, policymakers, and academia involved in food production.
Led by Matthew Gilmour, Quadram Institute.
Climate Change Impacts on AMR Using a Planetary Health Framework (CLIMAR) Network
The CLIMAR Network will examine the relationship between AMR, climate change and pollution.
It will connect nature, health, equity and social justice to ensure systems change covering the human, animal and environmental sectors.
The aim will be to find transdisciplinary solutions to reducing AMR infections while promoting innovations for alternative treatments.
Led by William Gaze, University of Exeter.
Accurate, Rapid, Robust and Economical One Health DiagnoSTics for antimicrobial resistance (ARREST-AMR) Network
The ARREST-AMR Network will focus on diagnostic tools in a One Health context.
This network will coordinate and develop practical solutions for diagnostics in humans, animals and plants, across various settings.
It will:
- identify needs across sectors
- develop research and innovation
- standardise evaluation
- support implementation
- cross-pollinate findings
Led by Mark Bradley, Queen Mary University of London.
Fungal One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Network
The Fungal One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Network will focus on the emergence of antifungal resistance and the development of countermeasures to it.
The network will cover healthcare, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries, as well as key government departments and end users in these settings.
The network will include the following themes:
- the underlying causes of resistance
- surveillance
- agricultural waste and water-based hotspots
- the development of countermeasures
- interventions to mitigate resistance
Led by Darius Armstrong-James, Imperial College London.
Futures AMR Network (FAN)
FAN will support early career researchers across a range of disciplines to become future leaders in the AMR field.
It will tackle AMR in the areas of agri-food health, environment and medicine using approaches in the arts and artificial intelligence (AI), behavioural economics, clinical engineering and discovery.
FAN’s community of early career researchers will offer a continuous stream of insights, exploration and innovation in future AMR.
Led by Linda Oyama, Queen’s University Belfast.
IMPACT AMR: a Transdisciplinary Network
IMPACT AMR: a Transdisciplinary Network will address key policy questions around AMR mitigation strategies.
It will working with policymakers and stakeholders to prioritise effective interventions that reduce the AMR burden in a feasible, socially acceptable and economically beneficial manner.
Led by Clare Chandler, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
People AMR Network
The People AMR Network will consider how communities might use antibiotics in the best possible ways to minimise AMR through changing behaviour.
The network will:
- explore ways to help people make decisions about antibiotic use
- develop new strategies and tools
It will study these to ensure they target the right people, the right behaviours, and the right settings to have maximum and timely impact at the lowest possible cost.
The community will include representatives from the public as well as GPs, dentists, pharmacists, vets and business leaders.
Led by Sarah Tonkin-Crine, University of Oxford.
Transdisciplinary Antimicrobial Resistance Genomics (TARGet) Network
The TARGet Network will utilise recent genomic advances to better understand AMR and leverage this information for surveillance, diagnostic, and infection prevention control practices.
The data from these studies will allow the application of ethically based AI tools and new technologies to support future prescribing in both human and veterinary medicine.
The network will cover the needs of academia, business, NHS, social care settings and veterinary medicine.
Led by Willem van Schaik, University of Birmingham.
About AMR
AMR is one of the top 10 global health threats.
By 2050, as many as 10 million people could die each year as a result of AMR.
The World Bank predicts that from 2015 to 2050, the cost of AMR will be $ 3.5 billion per year on healthcare alone.
Tackling infections
Tackling infections is one of UKRI’s five strategic themes and these networks are just eight of a number of investments to investigate and better manage future infectious disease threats.
Tackling infections will bolster our national defence and response capabilities by tackling infectious diseases that pose threats to people, livestock, crops and natural resources in more integrated and innovative ways.
This will mean we’re better prepared for potential epidemics and more effectively tackle AMR.
Our aim is to build knowledge and capability to better detect and disrupt the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, accelerating the development of new vaccines and therapeutics.
At the heart of this vision is our commitment to supporting world class discovery science and further understanding of disease.
Strategic themes
Through our five-year strategy ‘transforming tomorrow together,’ UKRI aims to harness the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.
To do this, we are investing £185 million in five themes which will tackle existential threats to humanity and encourage working across disciplines.
These are:
- building a greener future
- building a secure and resilient world
- creating opportunities and improving outcomes
- health, ageing and wellbeing
- tackling infections
We will build on these funds through contributions from our councils and other funding partners, including government departments.
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