New collaboration to tackle antimicrobial resistance begins
Medicines Discovery Catapult and ANTRUK Enterprises initiate joint research project
A new and potentially life-saving research collaboration begins this week, to tackle one of the fastest growing health problems in the world: antimicrobial resistance, which currently kills 12,000 people per year in the UK and 700,000 people globally, with experts predicting a rise to 10 million deaths every year by 2050.
The collaboration – between Medicines Discovery Catapult and ANTRUK Enterprises Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Antibiotic Research UK, the world’s first charity dedicated to tackling bacterial antibiotic resistance – is the inaugural project at the new Medicines Discovery Catapult Facility at the University of Warwick. In collaboration with Professor Chris Dowson, of the University’s Infectious Disease Research Group, Catapult researchers will combine antibiotics to combat resistance and identify new resistance breakers, translating research into new solutions for patients
Professor Colin Garner, Chief Executive of Antibiotic Research UK says:
“Antibiotic discovery is struggling to keep up with rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We need new approaches. Without a solution, standard treatments could become ineffective and straightforward infections could become deadly. Antibiotic Research UK is dedicated to discovering and developing innovative, patient-focused solutions, so we are delighted to have secured funding and agreed a collaboration with Medicines Discovery Catapult to make this research possible. Specific combinations of drugs are commonly used to treat Tuberculosis and infections in Cystic Fibrosis, but are overlooked in other areas. The solution to antimicrobial resistance could already exist and we are going to try to find it.”
This project draws on the first comprehensive screening of combinations of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance breakers, carried out by ANTRUK Enterprises. The work undertaken at the Catapult Facility at the University of Warwick will take this knowledge to the next stage.
Chris Molloy, Chief Executive of Medicines Discovery Catapult says:
“Solving antibiotic resistance is a global challenge which is why collaboration is so vital. Through the inaugural project at our Warwick Facility, we’ll be supporting charities and SMEs respond to this increasingly significant health challenge. Bringing together the best minds, industry expertise and equipment will progress effective solutions faster, benefiting the UK’s economy and patient health.”
For more information on Medicines Discovery Catapult visit https://md.catapult.org.uk/
For more information about Antibiotic Research UK visit http://www.antibioticresearch.org.uk/
