Researchers at the University of Liverpool have worked with partners to set out a vision for protecting the UK public against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
In an opinion piece published in Lancet Microbe, Professor William Hope, Dame Sally Davies Chair of AMR Research discusses a new model for addressing this global issue. Here he has worked with the NIHR Clinical Research Network and the NIHR Infection Specialty Group to lead a national consortium.
In this article, the AMR-X Collaborators describe the new AMR-X Framework. AMR-X integrates traditional AMR discovery, experimental research, applied research with continuous analysis of pathogens and antimicrobial uses. The model also utilises clinical outcomes that are routinely disseminated to practitioners, policy makers, patients, and the public to drive changes in practice and outcomes.
Authored by Professor Hope, 'System-wide approaches to antimicrobial resistance in the UK: the AMR-X framework' acknowledges the work of nearly 70 co-authors drawn from multiple UK institutions and key stakeholders.
Professor Hope said: "AMR is the one of the great threats to humanity. Antibiotics underpin the effective functioning of modern society. AMR is a massive problem for human, animal and environmental health. Following learnings from COVID-19, an opportunity exists to extend AMR-focussed research. AMR is an ever-present challenge that cannot be sustainably managed by solely relying on the discovery and development of new antimicrobial agent; it is also an information and data science problem.
"AMR-X provides a method to integrate multiple sources of data to improve the care of patients receiving antimicrobial therapy. AMR-X proposes linking routinely collected health-care and surveillance data to be used for the benefit of individual patients and the broader population."
AMR-X builds on many years of work conducted in the UK and globally by University of Liverpool researchers who seek to unveil the global impact of AMR, discovery and development of new antibiotics, and the optimisation of antimicrobial therapy throughout the world. The University of Liverpool's leadership in the field of AMR is underscored by involvement from multiple University investigators in the consortium including Professor Iain Buchan, Professor Alison Holmes, Professor Enitan Carrol, Dr Steve Aston, Dr Alex Howard and Dr Alessandro Gerada.
More about the University of Liverpool's AMR research projects
The Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutics (APT) Group is based in the University's Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology. APT provides preclinical and early phase clinical support to ensure new drugs are developed in a streamlined manner.
Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net) is a global collaborative research network focused on antimicrobial optimisation for use in humans. CAMO-Net brings together teams from the University of Liverpool and Imperial College London in the UK, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the Infectious Diseases Institute in Uganda, and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.
Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) is an interdisciplinary research centre tackling global health challenges with civic data and technology while driving positive change for the people of the Liverpool City Region.
Dr Ishwar Singh, leads the Antimicrobial Drug Discovery and Development group.
Professor William Hope's article, 'System-wide approaches to antimicrobial resistance in the UK: the AMR-X framework', was published in Lancet Microbe (DOI:10.1016/S2666-524(24)00003-X)
