Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest emerging threats to global health and development as it impacts on human, animal and plant health and also our environment, water safety and food security.
The GW4 AMR Alliance will enhance our universities’ strong and diverse portfolio of AMR research to tackle this global challenge. Our vision is to become the UK’s leading ‘One Health’ Antimicrobial Resistance research consortium, recognised globally, and to be the partner of choice for future AMR research consortia funding to help mitigate the urgent threat of AMR.
Dr Jane Khawaja, Interim GW4 Director, said: “GW4 institutions are already home to world-leading research facilities and complementary expertise in the field of AMR. I look forward to seeing how the GW4 AMR Alliance develops and progresses vital research in this area. I would encourage all those with an interest in AMR from across the GW4 Alliance to get involved.”
Society is facing a rise in AMR, with bacterial, fungal and other infections becoming resistant to existing antimicrobial drugs without a matching increase in new antibiotics or new treatments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increased overuse of antibiotics in some countries (which drives the emergence of AMR). Climate change will also exacerbate the AMR crisis with increasing drought events affecting hygiene and sanitation; extreme flooding and temperature-driven mass migration leading to infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics and new pandemics. AMR also disproportionately affects low-and-middle income countries.
The complex challenge of AMR can only be tackled with an interdisciplinary approach. The GW4 AMR Alliance’s ‘One Health’ approach provides a framework to design and implement programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together in an interdisciplinary way to achieve better public health outcomes for humans and animals, particularly by considering the impact of the environment.
GW4’s proven academic excellence in AMR research across disciplines and across institutions is demonstrated by a portfolio of AMR relevant research funding in excess of £40m. The GW4 AMR Alliance will build upon this extensive multidisciplinary expertise to drive the global, One Health effort in tackling AMR.
GW4 academics and researchers from all disciplines, including our Early Career Researchers and postgraduate students, working or interested in AMR are invited to join our new GW4 AMR Alliance by completing a short online registration form.
The GW4 AMR Alliance will hold a formal, external-facing launch this summer with an online research showcase and symposium in June.
