Aston Multidisciplinary Research for Antimicrobial Resistance: The AMR4AMR project

Antimicrobial resistance, the ability of microorganisms to overcome almost all of the antimicrobial treatments that we currently have, has been identified as one of the main challenges facing the 21st century, and it has become a critical problem across the globe, including in the developed world. Unless we step up our research efforts and find new approaches to deal with these bugs, it might not be long before we will find ourselves in a situation similar to times before the development of the penicillins, where simple infections turn out to have deadly consequences.

The reasons for the increasing resistance of organisms is many fold, and it is, therefore, going to take a concerted effort of researchers from many different areas to find long-term solutions; antimicrobial resistance presents a spectrum of complex and multifaceted questions, ranging in scope from fundamental scientific research at the horizons of disciplines through to the behaviour of individuals and society. While working across the conventional boundaries between the disciplines, interdisciplinary research, has become well established in the research world, it has not yet been applied in a concerted fashion to the problem of antimicrobial resistance.

Aston Interdisciplinary Research for Antimicrobial Resistance: the AMR4AMR project, will generate an active and vibrant research environment that will bring together researchers from across Aston, from disciplines like biology, the physical sciences such as physics and chemistry, pharmacy, engineering, mathematics and statistics, and other key areas like psychology, pharmacy practice, business and computer science, to focus holistically on the problem of antimicrobial drug resistance, and find new and innovative solutions. It is only by using a combination of approaches that we will transform the antimicrobial resistance landscape into a manageable and tractable problem.

Aston is a small and dynamic University, and AMR4AMR will enable us to very effectively bring together our world-leading researchers to identify and develop new ways of tackling the problems of antimicrobial resistance. To add substantial value to this, due to the size and organization of the University, we are uniquely placed to draw in research input from psychology, pharmacy practice, linguistics and our Business School, and we have a proven ability to work closely with businesses, all of which will inform the research and help to translate the science into solutions that can be used effectively in the real world.

Tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance will bring many benefits; not only will it improve quality of life and provide safer environments in our hospitals and workplaces, it will bring financial benefits as the burden of antimicrobial resistance on our already strained health service is reduced. AMR4AMR will bring together researchers to work on a range of complementary and tailored solutions, such as smarter and cheaper methods for rapid identification of the microorganisms and their resistance, better drugs and smarter ways to deliver them, new materials for anything from implants, such as hip replacements, to better antimicrobial work-surfaces, medicines that are best suited to the patient, from paediatrics to pensioners, helping people to complete course of drugs (not doing so is a major cause of microbial resistance), and better ways of identifying were infections originate and how they spread. In the longer term this research will lead to the goal of "precision medicine", to identify the causes of disease at the molecular level, and to use targeted, combined therapies to address specific disease processes.

Through the generation of an environment that actively supports this interdisciplinary approach, new and innovative science and engineering, and better practices will be developed, and will provide the foundation for ensuring we stay one step ahead of the superbugs.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the largest challenges currently facing mankind, and is a global threat. The Aston Multidisciplinary Research for Antimicrobial Resistance: AMR4AMR research programme will pioneer new ways of working across disciplines to address many of the core challenges in overcoming AMR. We will draw in researchers across the disciplines, will actively involve ECRs, and will work with stakeholders, other potential end-users, and the public, all of which will ensure the broadest benefit and influence of the programme. Aston has a strong track record in rapid translation of research into useful impact, and of public education.

Beneficiaries and benefits will include:
- The researchers who engage with the AMR4AMR programme, who will learn new ways of working and by the end of the programme will have gained valuable interdisciplinary skills which will translate back and enrich their future research endeavours. This will apply from ECRs to Professors. We will particularly focus on nurturing and encouragement of our rising star ECRs to engage with the AMR agenda, and creating a new focus for our established leading researchers.
- Businesses who engage with the AMR4AMR programme (for example, through our innovation voucher scheme) will not only allow us to leverage additional resource to support and extend the programme, but will also gain first hand access to world leading research in this field to inform their business models, allowing them to refine their output to reflect the needs of AMR with concomitant benefits for the company (economic) and for society (improved health outcomes). Short-term benefits will be gained from the partnerships formed, knowledge transfer and research undertaken during the programme, and longer term benefits will accrue from the new relationships established during the programme.
- Healthcare practitioners and patients will benefit through improved health outcomes as a consequence of the research findings. This will be broad ranging, from new drugs and delivery systems, through areas such as better "smart" active surfaces and disinfection procedures, through to better compliance with drug regimens and public understanding. While some of these may occur during the programme, some of these are longer-term projects which will be initiated as part of the AMR4AMR programme.
- Business and the academic community will benefit through the development of innovative methodologies, equipment, techniques, technologies and interdisciplinary approaches all of which will enhance the knowledge economy and directly contribute to the health of academic disciplines.
- Policy makers will benefit from an improved evidence base for policy making and resources, materials and ideas for public understanding of policy.
- the NHS, and therefore the broader economy, will benefit from the reduced cost and congestion provided by better therapy, by having better practices and treatments for current infections, and by the reduced likelihood of AMR resistant infections and reduced development of new AMR organisms.
-The public will benefit from the creative output of the project through its strong focus on public engagement

The AMR4AMR programme will also generate a resource of recorded material, novel engagement mechanisms and public education material that will be available beyond the end of the project, and examples of good practice in impact generation.