INNOVATORS
The CDC started the Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Solutions Initiative with the intention to fund combating antibiotic-resistant superbugs in healthcare, food, and within communities. They are doing so using a three-pronged plan to identify and work to eradicate resistant pathogens, prevent the spread of infections, and give other nations a push to innovate against superbugs.
Dr Katharina Richter of the University of Adelaide was awarded by MIT Technology Review for her work developing two treatments for the antibiotic-resistant disease known as Golden Staph. One of these treatments is a nasal rinse that is applied following surgery to destroy residual infections. The other is a non-toxic gel that is also applied after surgery, and starves bacteria first, and then feeds them a toxic substance. To learn more, click here.
University of Oxford
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The FAU team lead by Dr Dulin, and the Oxford University team lead by Achillefs Kapanidis discovered that early stages of ribonucleic acid production is what controls the regulation of gene expression in bacteria. During synthesis, a pause was observed. If a medication could be developed to lock the bacteria in a pause, it would kill them. This new approach is being considered in fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has expressed their concerns for superbugs by donating $25 million to a Boston University effort, and has shown their support along with the UK Government for CARB-X. Additionally, the Gates' have initiated a Grand Challenge competition in order to create better tracking data for antimicrobial-resistance in 2016.
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A Boston University global partnership known as CARB-X, is awarding Recida Therapeutics with $4.4 million. These together are preparing to send a new class of drugs to the FDA for testing. And if successful, they will move on to Phase 1 of clinical trials by the end of 2019. These antibiotics have shown promising results against Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which have proven to be one of the most deadly of superbugs.
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The UK Government commited over £30 million in mid-2018 to fund four new projects of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). The funding primarily targeted low and middle income countries, where the burden is the most overwhelming. These projects are partnerships with many non-profit and research oriented organizations, that focus on alternative treatments for antibiotics, and diagnostic care for patients affected.
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SUPERBUGS
Stopping the Drug-resistance Epidemic
