Experts from the University of Nottingham have received £1.7million in funding to lead a research project to look at developing new treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, with projections estimating up to 8 million annual deaths worldwide by 2050 (Lancet, 2024).
This new international research project aims to combat AMR by investigating how resistant bacteria spreads between humans, livestock, and wildlife and will explore innovative treatments to combat this by using bacteriophages - viruses that specifically target and destroy bacteria.
We are approaching a critical point where many of the antimicrobials we have relied upon in the past to treat common infections are becoming ineffective. New antimicrobials entering the market are few and far between, so alternative approaches are urgently needed. We now have the opportunity to develop new treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections by recruiting their natural enemies, bacteriophages."
The project, which has been funded by the BBSRC and the Indian Government Department of Biotechnology (DBT), is an international collaboration led by experts at the University of Nottingham, along with colleagues at Loughborough University, the Quadram Institute and the UK Health Security Agency.
Partners in India include the Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University, the Central India Institute of Medical Science, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the Wildlife Research and Training Center, Nagpur and the University of Delhi.
The collaborative project focuses on Escherichia coli (E. coli), a common source of infection in both humans and animals, and a member of the ESKAPE group of drug-resistant pathogens given high priority by the World Health Organization.
Researchers will study E. coli transmission on farms in the UK and India over a two-year period. This involves sampling livestock and humans, analysing environmental factors, and interviewing farmers to understand management practices that influence the spread of AMR.
To address the growing threat of AMR, the project will also develop a new bacteriophage-based treatment. Bacteriophage (or 'phage') are viruses which specifically kill bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. By harnessing artificial intelligence, the team will optimize combinations (or "cocktails") of bacteriophages to target AMR E. coli strains circulating in livestock and people.
Given the global nature of AMR, where resistant bacteria can spread across borders through international travel and trade, this research highlights the urgent need for worldwide cooperation to tackle the issue.
This groundbreaking project offers hope in the fight against AMR, paving the way for effective, alternative treatments and strategies to protect public and animal health.
Dr Tanya Monaghan, Clinical Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology, in the School of Medicine, at Nottingham, said: "AMR has been described as a "catastrophic threat" to human and animal health. As a clinical academic and Gastroenterology consultant, I am acutely aware of the extent of the AMR problem in health care and its association with higher mortality and longer hospitalisation, which is burdening an already overstretched NHS. I am excited to be working on this highly important international interdisciplinary research project and look forward to developing and translating our research findings with our dedicated team of partners."
Professor Emily Rousham, Professor of Global Public Health at Loughborough University, said: "This is an exciting UK-India collaboration that will allow us to support and improve dairy farming practices in order to reduce the risks of antibiotic resistance developing in livestock and humans."
