AMR Insights in 2023 as a bird’s eye view

For AMR Insights, the year 2023 has been all about fighting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR):

1) By boosting joint innovation and international collaboration to combat AMR

With Innovate UK and the Young Innovators of Medicines, we organised on 16 & 17 November the International Matchmaking symposium EADA 2023 in Amsterdam. With a record number of 150 successful 1:1 partnering sessions and a meaningful closing session on innovation and antibiotics, we look back at a successful 6th edition of ‘Emerging Antimicrobials and Diagnostics in AMR’

Also with Innovate UK, we organised the online, International matchmaking symposium ADTCA 2023, exploring the possibilities of AI, Deep learning and other data technologies to curb AMR. The event ‘Advancing Data Technologies to Corner AMR’ was organised for the 5th time. 

And with Innovate UK we worked on developing and exploring new collaborations between UK businesses and companies in Germany and Switzerland (via its Global Business Innovation Programme; in short GBIP) respectively India (via its Global Expert Mission). In Switzerland we attended the AMR Conference in Basel as part of the GBIP. In India, exploring opportunities for collaboration, we visited C-CAMP and Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre in Bangalore and SRM University AP in Vijayawada. At SRM we co-organized the ICAFA 2023 event; I was honored to be one of the keynote lecturers. 

Early 2023 I took the initiative to meet with the World Health Organisation, GARDP, IFPMA, FIND, Evotec, bioMerieux, BD, Pfizer, UNICEF, CARB-X, Innovate UK, BSAC, ICARS, CIDRAP, AMR Action Fund, LifeArc, Innovate UK and other global AMR stakeholders to further align the plans of AMR Insights. 

2) By improving Antimicrobial Stewardship

With a team of co-investigators, AMR Insights successfully completed and reported the retrospective, multi-country study ‘Bacterial Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic; A Multi-Country Retrospective Analysis’. The study was performed in two high income countries (Spain, USA), two upper middle-income countries (Mexico, South Africa), and two lower middle-income (Sri Lanka, India).

With the Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme Hub (GASPH), which aims to achieve a better global implementation of antibiotic stewardship and where AMR Insights is one of the founding partners, we had regular stimulating and actionable meetings.

3) By enhancing the development of emerging AMR Diagnostics

With JPIAMR funded B2B2B, through which we aim to support the development of new AMR diagnostics, we launched AMR Insights technology directory. This aims to unlock emerging AMR diagnostics globally.

4) By reducing AMR in the environment

With the Netherlands Consortium Antibiotics and Pharmaceutical Residues from Water, we explored the Dutch water technology market for combating AMR in water and the environment. The market analysis was commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency with the aim of exploring the potential of Dutch water technology companies to partner with hospitals, antibiotics manufacturers and sewage treatment plant in India. We co-organised and presented at the webinar Chances for Water and AMR in India. We were happy to have an inspiring, in person meeting with the Netherlands Consortium in mid 2023 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This Dutch consortium continued to grow in 2023; we welcomed new members. 

5) By educating and enhancing awareness on AMR

For the 6th time, and together with dozens of international experts, we organised the online International Masterclass AMR 2023 and welcomed hundreds of participants from developing as well as developed countries to educate and explain about AMR and the global fight against AMR. 

To generate more attention to AMR, we organised for the 3rd time the 24-hour event AMRelay 2023 with fantastic online contributions from around the world. A heartwarming event connecting people and organisations globally involved in curbing AMR.

6) By informing on AMR

By 2023, we have been able to send 23 newsletters full of selected news and information on AMR that arrive in the digital mailbox of > 8,500 subscribers every fortnight. And which resulted in us welcoming another > 50,000 visitors to the AMR Insights information platform in 2023! 

I was very much honored to present at 2 international conferences in Saudi Arabia (Trends in Microbiome and Digital Health) and in India (ICAFA 2023). Likewise I was proud to present at the Global WARNING webinar organised by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. As well as at SCMB 2023. 

7) By collaborating with the international AMR Insights Ambassador Network

The number of Ambassadors continued to grow in 2023 and we are proud to now have more than 600 (!) Ambassadors in some 60 countries. In order to keep the Ambassadors informed on all developments we shared six ‘Ambassador Updates’. 

With the AMR Insights Ambassador network, we organised a first physical meeting in Kenya. A informal yet very informative get-together with inspiring Ambassadors from Kenya and Uganda. 

With a dedicated team of Ambassadors we carried out a genomics meta-analysis on ESKAPE pathogens. This led to the successful development of the new AMR dashboard ESKAPE EXPLORE. The new dashboard was launched on 6 November during the opening ceremony of ICAFA 2023. The involved organisations Nitte University, SRM University Andhra Pradesh and AMR Insights signed an Memorandum of Understanding on the further development and global implementation of ESKAPE EXPLORER in collaboration with the Ambassador Network. 

In collaboration with a team of Ambassadors we investigated and reported OTC sales of oral antibiotics within the Ambassador Network. The objective of the study was to investigate the OTC sales of oral antibiotics and associated determinants across developed and developing countries.

8) By welcoming new, strong Partners

We were very much excited to welcome our new partners IHMA, Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, LifeArc and British Standards Institution! And that we continued our partnership with the Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition and BD, IFPMA and Molzym! Only thanks to them can we continue our fight against AMR. 

Clean Environment   Effective Surveillance   Engaged Students   Healthy Animals   Healthy Patients   Kids and Carers   Secure Foods   Smart Innovations   Back