Routine infections could once again become life-threatening within decades, as bacteria evolve to evade every antibiotic we have. This programme tackles antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—the point where common treatments stop working. The World Health Organisation has called AMR one of the greatest threats facing the global community. Overuse of antibiotics and a lack of new approaches have created a gap that urgently needs filling. The research aims to develop alternatives before even minor infections become untreatable. The work is organised into four linked strands. One builds human organoid models—miniature tissues grown in the lab—to study how bacteria interact with the body and its natural microbial communities. Another develops faster microscopy methods for diagnosing infections. A third creates new antimicrobial drugs and better ways to deliver existing antibiotics. The fourth explores “drug-free” treatments that boost the immune system or fight infection without drugs at all, suitable for large-scale use in industry or the environment. If successful, the programme could shift how we treat infections—away from sole reliance on antibiotics and toward a broader toolkit of therapies, diagnostics, and preventive methods that keep common infections manageable.
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The 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) identifies it as: "one of the greatest threats we face as a global community." The evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, our over-use of antibiotics and failure to develop new methods for tackling infection could leave us without viable treatments for even the most trivial infections within the next 3 decades. There have been significant efforts by the WHO and national agencies to raise awareness of AMR and reduce the use of antibiotics, but there is still an urgent need to intensify these efforts and, crucially, to develop alternatives. The aim of the programme is to address this need. The programme will consist of 4 interlinked work packages focussed on the core research objectives: (1) The development of human organoid models for studying interactions between bacteria and the tissue microenvironment and larger scale interactions with the host microbiome. (2) New microscopy methods to complement the organoid models and to facilitate rapid characterisation of bacteria for improved diagnosis. (3) New antimicrobial therapeutics and targeted delivery techniques to improve the use of existing antibiotics and provide viable alternatives. (4) "Drug-free" methods for treating infections and promoting immune function thereby further reducing the use of antibiotics and providing methods suitable for large scale environmental/industrial use. These will be supported by 2 parallel translational activities to enable development of the translational pathway and wider engagement with clinical and industrial stakeholders, policy-makers and the public.
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