Medicines Discovery Catapult, ANTRUK start antibiotics project

A new research project has begun at Warwick University striving to tackle antimicrobial resistance, one of the fastest growing health problems around the globe.

Medicines Discovery Catapult and ANTRUK Enterprises, a wholly owned subsidiary of the charity Antibiotic Research UK, are working together on the inaugural project at the former’s new facility at the University.

The parties intend to use combinations of antibiotics to combat resistance and identify new resistance breakers, translating research into new solutions for patients.

"Specific combinations of drugs are commonly used to treat tuberculosis and infections in cystic fibrosis, but are overlooked in other areas. The solution to antimicrobial resistance could already exist and we are going to try to find it," said Professor Colin Garner, chief executive of Antibiotic Research UK, explaining the move.

Antimicrobial resistance currently kills 12,000 people per year in the UK and 700,000 people globally, with experts predicting a rise to 10 million deaths every year by 2050.