The UK vs. superbugs: Combatting AMR on the homefront

AMR, or antimicrobial resistance, is never far from the conversation these days. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the growing resistance to the world’s existing antibiotics is one of the largest threats facing public health, with 1.27 million deaths attributed to bacterial AMR worldwide in 2019 alone – more than HIV and malaria combined.

While academics might have developed a means to reinvent the old, today, the industry faces a weak pipeline for new antibiotics, as there is no commercial payoff to act as an incentive for the resource-intensive development of AMR drugs. Though smaller companies are exploring new treatment possibilities with the likes of CRISPR technology, for example, others are turning to AI to better identify the appropriate antibiotics for the appropriate bacterial infections.

In February this year, Deep Dive headed up to Liverpool, UK, for the BioInfect Conference on AMR. Held at the top of The Spine for the first time, the location of Liverpool’s Royal College of Physicians, as well as the Pandemic Institute, the day sought to bring to light – via discourse and insights from scientists and politicians, researchers and practicing clinicians – the state of affairs when it comes to AMR in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Life sciences in the North West

The BioInfect agenda – an event now in its 10th year – covered a range of topics, kicking off with a welcome address from Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotherham, sharing investment plans for the life sciences sector, before the official launch of the Liverpool City Region Investment Zone in Health and Life Sciences.

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