New UK charity to tackle antibiotic resistance

Published: 15-Oct-2014

Antibiotic Research UK aims to develop at least one effective drug before the end of the decade

A group of scientific experts from 14 of the top universities in the UK and 14 biotechnology companies have formed a national charity to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) has ambitious goals to reverse the decline in the development of antibiotics.

It is estimated that there are 400,000 cases of reported antibiotic resistant infections with 25,000 deaths each year in the European Union; in the UK the figure is close to 5,000 deaths a year. Around 35,000 people die each year from sepsis of which a proportion can be directly linked to infection with antibiotic resistant bacteria. Even a simple scratch will kill if we don’t have effective antibiotics, the charity says.

ANTRUK aims to raise funds to finance five new scientific programmes with the aim of developing at least one new antibiotic in the next 5–7 years and further antibiotics from 2020 onwards.

The charity’s scientific and technical panel will identify the five projects and ask the public to decide which project to donate to. This novel method of fundraising provides a direct link between public donors and the projects they are supporting.

ANTRUK aims to raise up to £30m in the five-year time period through a combination of traditional fundraising, corporate sponsorship, trusts and foundations, as well as newer fundraising methods such as crowdfunding and the use of social media.

Professor Colin Garner, Chief Executive of Antibiotic Research UK, said: 'The UK’s charity sector has been extremely successful in raising funds for medical research and we hope to tap into this success; if we don’t tackle the problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria now then the consequences will be far, far worse than the current Ebola outbreak. The charity, because it is non-profit making, can undertake research which is of no interest to commercial enterprises. We are asking the UK public to assist us in achieving our goal.'

Professor Sir Anthony Coates, one of the world’s leading experts in antibiotic resistance bacteria and Professor of Medical Microbiology at St George’s, University of London and one of the charity’s Trustees, adds: 'This new charity provides a unique opportunity to engage with the public and patients in partnership to find new drugs or to re-examine the potential of existing drugs.'

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