A joint research project has been initiated by Medicines Discovery Catapult and ANTRUK to tackle the rapidly growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance
This will be the first project to take place at the new Medicines Discovery Catapult facility at the University of Warwick and will see a collaboration between Catapult researchers and the University’s Infectious Disease Research Group’s Professor Chris Dowson to combine antibiotics and identify new resistance breakers in order to find new solutions for patients.
“Antibiotic discovery is struggling to keep up with rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We need new approaches,” explained Professor Colin Garner, chief executive of Antibiotic Research UK. “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.”
“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,” added Chris Molloy, chief executive of Medicines Discovery Catapult. “Bringing together the best minds, industry expertise and equipment will progress effective solutions faster, benefiting the UK’s economy and patient health.”
The Medicines Discovery Catapult is a new, national centre of applied Research and Development expertise to promote and support innovative, fast-to-patient drug discovery in the UK through collaborative projects.
ANTRUK Enterprises is wholly owned subsidiary of Antibiotic Research UK, the world’s first charity focused on tackling bacterial antibiotic resistance.