Minister launches antimicrobial "war cabinet"

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is set to lead a multi-council initiative that will coordinate with medical researchers, biologists, engineers and social scientists to address the global issue of resistance to antimicrobials, according to Greg Clark in his first announcement as science minister.

As part of the collaboration, a Funders Forum has been established as a means of sharing information.

“This unique collaboration involving all seven research councils will help to drive forward important advances in the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” said Clark, who replaced David Willetts as part of the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.

“100 years ago 25% of all deaths were due to bacterial infection. We cannot return to those days

MRC chief exec John Savill

“The united strategy announced today will provide a more coordinated approach to research gathering by bringing together leading cross-industry experts against what is one of today’s greatest scientific problems.”

An MRC spokesperson told Laboratorytalk.com: “The Funders’ Forum will meet 3-4 times a year but there will be more frequent, smaller meetings, as and when necessary, throughout the year.”

The collaboration will also play host to veterinarians, economists, designers and mathematicians in what has been described as “a multi-pronged approach to address all aspects of the multi-faceted problem”.

According to recent statistics, the UK alone has spent £275 million on antimicrobial resistance research since 2007, yet no new drugs have been introduced in that time.

The initiative will work to identify common characteristics of antimicrobial resistance in both humans and in farm and wild animals in order to find new drugs in a pipeline that has all but dried up, MRC said.

Scientists will also be investigating ways to track the extent of antimicrobial resistance in different environments such as the sea; rivers; air; soil and within organisms.

Researchers funded by the Natural Environment Research Council have revealed the first finding of an imipenam-resistant E. coli in a UK river, a broad spectrum antibiotic that’s often used when other antibiotics have failed to work.

Speaking ahead of the collaboration, MRC chief executive John Savill said: “Researchers have been waging a war on AMR (antimicrobial resistance) for decades but up until now we’ve had no war cabinet to coordinate research on all fronts.

“This is about tackling the problem at every level and in every environment - from labs to livestock, from finding new diagnostic tools to educating professionals and the public. 100 years ago 25% of all deaths were due to bacterial infection. We cannot return to those days.”