PROGRAM
Wonderful class and very interesting presentations! Quote Masterclass AMR 2021
Times indicated in Central European Summer Time (CEST)
Program 28 September 2023
The first half-day of the Masterclass focuses on thoroughly explaining the building blocks of AMR: what are bacteria, what are antibiotics and what is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? And how do we prevent AMR? We briefly discuss the important role of SMEs in developing better diagnostics and better antibiotics.
13:30
Welcome and introduction to Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Dr Maarten van Dongen; AMR Insights (Netherlands): A closer acquaintance to and demarcation of AMR. How AMR is viewed from different sectors and how we communicate about AMR. How to acknowledge AMR adequately.
14:00
Bacteria: desperately needed and detested
Dr Maarten van Dongen: What are bacteria, where they occur and how they multiply and spread. What types and subtypes are there and which ones are harmful or pathogenic. What function do bacteria have, what diseases in humans, animals and plants can they cause and why we also desperately need bacteria.
14:15
The gut microbiome in health, disease and antibiotic resistance
Dr Marjolein Klaassen; Massachusetts General Hospital/MIT/Harvard University, Boston MA (USA): What constitutes the gut microbiome? How does the gut microbiome interact with the local immune system and with the intestinal wall? How does this interaction influence antimicrobial resistance of the gut microbiome ecosystem?
14:30
Antibiotics: desperately needed but also cause of AMR
Dr Maarten van Dongen and Dr Rohini Wadanamby; Lanka hospital, Colombo (Sri Lanka): What are antibiotics. How they were discovered and how they work. What (classes of) antibiotics there are and how they protect us. And how do they differ. Why and when to use antibiotics and how to appropriately use these in a cost effective way. And when not to use.
15:00
Antibiotic & antimicrobial resistance: the overall picture
Dr Maarten van Dongen: What are antibiotic resistance and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). How these develop and spread around the world. Why AMR is increasingly threatening our health and food safety: statistics, socio-economic implications and consequences for public human and animal health. The real impact of AMR and the implications of the ‘visible’ corona pandemic for the ‘hidden’ AMR pandemic. The worldwide increase of a phenomenon that we cannot yet control.
15:30
Driving more AMR innovations towards the clinic: gaps and opportunities in early translation
Expert: Dr Peter Coombs, LifeArc UK: Getting new diagnostics and treatments for AMR to patients is a challenge and consequently the discovery pipeline is currently sparse. There are distinct gaps in accessing the funding and know-how, which could help discovery stage innovation from academics and SMEs progress towards later stage development and downstream investment. How can we address this? And what are the opportunities for harnessing innovation in the early phases of AMR discovery?
15:45
Incentivizing investment into antibiotic R&D – what is needed?
Expert: Luka Srot, MPharm; IFPMA (Switzerland): We desperately need new antibiotics, yet innovation in this space is faltering due to unique market challenges faced by these life-saving drugs. The clinical pipeline is dangerously thin and without new investment, AMR burden will continue to rise, threatening modern medicine. Perspectives on possible solutions and policy needs from the pharmaceutical industry.
16:00
Short break
16:15
The global strategy to combat AMR
Dr Maarten van Dongen: The WHO Global Action Plan and how National Action Plans add to the curbing AMR. How WHO, FAO, UNEP and WOAH join forces. The UN and other organisations involved to monitor and control AMR. An overview of the global stakeholders.
16:30
6 Key strategies to tackle AMR in the One Health perspective
Dr Maarten van Dongen, AMR Insights: The 6 important, key strategies in the One Health perspective to stop the global escalation of AMR. The ‘why, how and what’ of the different strategies, how they reinforce each other and can add to an effective, global control of AMR. The global challenges related to the individual strategies.
16:45
The novel diagnostics perspective: how private companies add to tackling AMR (1)
Expert: Dr Han Zendman; NYtor (Netherlands):SMEs face the challenge of translating high-quality technology from university research and from their own research into market-oriented diagnostic applications. And thus contribute to the fight against AMR. The NYtor case.
17:00
Reveal Minorities – Spotlighting Pathogens in Complex Clinical Samples
Expert: Dr Helge Mühl; Molzym GmbH (Germany): Pathogen DNA isolated with Molzym Technologies can be used beyond the well-known 16S and 18S broadband analysis. What are additional applications for use of Molzym’s molecular pathogen detection technologies in clinical samples?
17:15
The novel antibiotics perspective: how private companies add to tackling AMR
Expert: Dr Nelly Dubarry, Evotec (France): The presentation ‘Alternative approach to discover small molecule antibiotics’ puts in a broader perspective the challenges related to antibiotics R&D.
17:30
Closure Day 1
Program 29 September 2023
The second half-day of the Masterclass focuses entirely on key strategies to prevent and combat AMR. Six international AMR experts share their views on how this works and what to expect. To conclude, we will discuss WHO’s new strategic research agenda.
13:30
Welcome
Dr Maarten van Dongen
13:45
Strategy 1: Antibiotic Stewardship and knowledge sharing as a force for tackling AMR
Expert: Dr David Jenkins, President BSAC (UK): Monitoring and limiting the use of antibiotics reduces the risk of AMR. How this can be implemented in human and animal health care: feasibility in HIC and LMICs alike. The potential of stewardship to diminish AMR, the relevance of knowledge sharing and the role of the newly set up GASPh. The recent launch of the BSAC Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation Scheme (GAMSAS).
14:15
Strategy 2: Microbial Diagnostics and new technologies to reach the market
Expert: Prof Till Bachmann; University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (UK): Diagnostics help us to set the proper patient treatment. Diagnostics distinguish bacteria from viruses, identify bacterial species (ID) and determine the antibiotics sensitivity (AST). Do we use diagnostics properly and do we use the proper diagnostics. Emerging scientific developments in diagnostics and what new diagnostic tools may reach the market.
14:45
Strategy 3: Novel Antibiotics and the context of the broken market
Expert: Usha Lamichhane; Global AMR R&D Hub (Germany): New antibiotics, to which bacteria are still sensitive, are increasingly needed in the global fight against AMR. Why only very few new antibiotics appear on the market. Challenges related to antimicrobial R&D, the lack of funding and a proper return of investment for pharma companies. Upcoming market push and market pull mechanisms in the UK and the USA. The important roles played by CARB-X, GARDP, AMR Industry Alliance and AMR Action Fund. All this in the perspective of the Global AMR R&D Hub.
15:15
Break
15:30
Strategy 4: Infection Prevention and Control and the key role of vaccination
Expert: Prof Cal MacLennan; Professor of Vaccine Immunology at the University of Birmingham (UK): Infection prevention results in the decreased use of antibiotics and prevents (resistant) bacteria from spreading. The impact of vaccination of humans and animals (in addition to good sanitation, hygiene and use of disinfectants) to prevent AMR. The impact of the global bacterial vaccinology network BactiVac to accelerate the development of vaccines relevant to LMICs.
16:00
Strategy 5: How much is possible to find alternatives to antibiotics?
Expert: Prof Jayaseelan Murugaiyan; SRM University AP (India): Alternatives to antibiotics are increasingly important to curb AMR. In addition to phage therapy, antimicrobial tissue replacers, nanomaterials and probiotics appear to fight (resistant) bacteria without leading to AMR. What are the developments and what are the promises in theory and practice. A unique, structured overview of all alternatives and where they can be used.
16:30
Strategy 6: Reducing Antibiotic Emissions in waste water
Expert: Steve Brooks, President Steve Brooks Consulting LLC and Tom Vereijken, Director European Water Stuwardship: Steve currently serves as an Advisor to the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Industry Alliance, and chairs the Manufacturing Work Group of the Alliance. Steve will present the environmental dimensions of AMR recognized as part of the “One Health” approach to addressing AMR. Antibiotics that enter the aquatic environment, eg from animal and human use and excretion, from antibiotic manufacturing waste water, may present a risk of resistance developing in environmental bacteria unless adequately controlled. In this session The AMR Industry Alliance will describe its work with the British Standards Institution to develop antibiotic manufacturing standard (establishing adequate control) and an accompanying certification scheme that provides independent verification that an antibiotic is made in accordance with the standard. The session includes an intro to the Dutch Consortium Antibiotics and Pharmaceutical Residues from Water & White Paper by Tom Vereijken (EWS)
17:00
AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform
Expert: Nelea Motriuc, Coordinator, AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform: The AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform is a global, collaborative, and inclusive mechanism that aims to catalyze a global movement for action against AMR by stakeholders from the One Health sectors (human, animal, agriculture, plant, environment). Established in November 2022 by the Quadripartite (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH) following the recommendation of the 2019 IACG report, the Platform aims to promote a shared global vision on AMR and build stakeholder consensus to assist in preserving antimicrobials as lifesaving medicines and ensuring their responsible use under a One Health approach.
17:20
One Health Priority Research Agenda for AMR
Expert: Jorge Matheu, Team Lead, AMR Division, WHO: The Quadripartite organizations (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH) developed the One Health Priority Research Agenda for AMR report, this is a joint initiative to assist in directing and catalyzing scientific interest and financial investments for the priority research agenda across sectors for countries and funding bodies. The research agenda focus on five pillars: transmission, integrated surveillance, interventions, behavioural insights and change, and economics and policy. Implementing this research agenda will support priority-setting and development of policy and practice-relevant evidence for countries to simultaneously address the threat of AMR and support national action plan (NAP) implementation and achievement of the SDGs for 2030.
17:40
Closure Day 2
Dr Maarten van Dongen
Thanks to all the panellists! Such an inspiring masterclass
Quote Masterclass AMR 2021
