Grant Supports Ongoing Work in Antimicrobial Studies

A £2.1million grant from the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care is set to boost Dundee University researchers’ work in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance, by supporting early stage research using new equipment. Dr Charis Marwick in the University’s School of Medicine, working with colleagues in the School of Life Sciences and NHS Tayside, will use the funding to significantly boost their capability in sequencing and information storage.

Dr Marwick said, “It is a globally recognised issue that bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to currently available antibiotics, making infections more difficult and sometimes impossible, to treat.

Designing the best approaches to tackle antibiotic-resistant infections has been hindered by the lack of detailed information about the bacteria and about the people who are at risk.

“Our work in Dundee involves broad-ranging research to tackle antibiotic resistant infections – from understanding the biology of bacterial cells to examining the effect of changes in clinical practice on resistant infections in the population.

“Bacterial genetic information and anonymised patient information is critical for this research. We have expertise in using these data, but our current facilities require upgrading to support rapid, stream-lined bacterial genetic analysis with data processing and linkage.

“This funding will allow us to invest in state-of-the-art equipment to do this. The new facilities will greatly enhance our research aimed at guiding prevention and treatment of antibiotic resistant infections now and in the future. This will also help attract talented researchers and students to Dundee to further enhance our research.”

The funding is part of a £32million package delivered by the UK Government to increase efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance.