Funding AMR research: the UK Research Councils John Savill Medical - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Funding AMR research: the UK Research Councils John Savill Medical Research Council - UK

MRC mission • Encourage and support high-quality research with the aim of improving human health. • Produce skilled researchers. • Advance and disseminate knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness in the UK and worldwide. • Promote dialogue with the public about medical research.

MRC investment in research, 2012/13 MRC research expenditure - € 926.2 million in 2012/13 • € 414.4m on around 400 programmes in MRC research units and institutes (inc € 9.9m on studentships). • € 404.1m on around 1,400 grants to researchers in universities, medical schools and research institutes. • € 86.1m on studentships and fellowships in universities, medical schools and research institutes.

The UK: A rich network of funders and researchers UK Government Departments OSCHR Research Technology community Strategy Board Research Public UK Clinical Research Councils Collaboration Parliamentarians Policy-makers NIHR Learned societies Industry DEFRA Universities International Medical charities Patients and carers NHS

AMR research in the UK • Growing concern of AMR: a political and societal priority • The research councils: broad remits; support AMR across the whole of the research spectrum Research Councils portfolio: ~ € 30m per year on AMR

What is needed? • Collaborative working • Coordination of key disciplines • Coordinating research funding – government and other research funders including industry • Ensuring integration with human/animal healthcare UK AMR Funders Forum

AMR Funders Forum (AMRFF) • Made up of representatives from the research councils, governmental bodies and charities • Led and managed by the MRC • Has a common vision for AMR research and its implementation • Will add value to existing programmes • Will coordinate and/or support the initiation of funding and delivery programmes • Will raise the profile of the AMR research base in the UK and internationally

AMRFF current membership • The Biotechnology and Biological • HSC R&D Division, Public Health Sciences Research Council Agency, Northern Ireland (BBSRC) • *The Medical Research Council • DEFRA, the Veterinary Medicines (MRC) Directorate • National Institute of Health • The Department of Health Research (NIHR) • The Economic and Social • The Natural Environment Research Council (ESRC) Research Council (NERC) • The Engineering and Physical • The Science and Technology Sciences Research Council Facilities Research Council (STFC) (EPSRC) • The Technology Strategy Board • The Food Standards Agency (TSB) • The Wellcome Trust

Research priorities identified • Understanding resistant bacteria in context: from genomic, through to cellular and host pathogen interaction • Accelerating therapeutic and diagnostics development : development and revisiting of small molecule antibiotics, new non-small molecule based treatments and diagnostics • Understanding real world interactions : how resistant bacteria affect their environments and vice versa. New sources of antibiotics • Behaviour and care: behaviour change in human and animal healthcare settings. New business models needed for antibiotics development

UK spend on AMR (since 2007) Total funding: € 337m € 0.6m € 26.6m Therapeutics € 20.4m Diagnostics € 20.6m Underpinning Surveillance Alternatives Optimisation Transmission Lead compounds € 200m € 68.7m Environment Interventions

The breadth of current research Major UK investments: • Understanding bacteria: Eg: Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection • Technology to reduce infection: Eg: Early Warning Sensing Systems i-Sense (EPSRC) • Links with industry: Eg: New anti-bacterial to treat MRSA (BBSRC) • Environment: Eg: NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology: modelling antibiotics usage

Current joint initiatives • 4 x UKCRC Translational Infection Research Initiative consortia, MRC-led joint initiative  University of Oxford, Derrick Crook (genomics to detect transmission)  Imperial, Jonathan Friedland (Health Care Associated Infection and AMR)  University of Cambridge, Sharon Peacock (MRSA transmission)  University of London, Tariq Sadiq (Diagnostics and STIs) • Environmental and Social Ecology of Human Infectious Diseases (ESEI) MRC-led, as part of LWEC  novel inter-disciplinary approaches to studying the ecology of infectious diseases

Cambridge UKCRC Consortium UK MRSA investigation network: a case study English referral network : Donker, Wallinga and Grundmann , PLoS 2012

Case study outcomes • Whole genome sequencing tools to detect patterns of MRSA transmission • Transmission modelling within a hospital and between hospitals • UK hospital: Addenbrooke – Cambridge Netherlands hospital: University Medical hospital – Groningen • MRSA rate reflects connectivity of the hospital – more movement and referral between hospitals, less control of MRSA • Hospitals that share >50 patients / year share homogenous MRSA

Developing international links - highlights • JPIAMR: MRC lead on behalf of the UK • Canada: 2 x UK-CIHR Partnership on antimicrobial resistance consortia  University of Cardiff (Tim Walsh) and Canada (Gary Dmitrienko)  University of Warwick (Chris Dowson) and Canada (Anthony Clarke) • BBSRC partner of Global Strategic Alliance for coordination of research on major infectious diseases of animals and zoonoses • Currently identifying international opportunities via RCUK offices in China, India and USA

Providing excellent underpinning resources • Medical Bioinformatics call Universities of Warwick and Swansea: The MRC Consortium for Medical Microbial Bioinformatics (wide range of research including AMR surveillance and data sharing) • The Farr Institute : for health informatics research • Linking with Industry  IMI: the MRC represents the UK  Revisiting old compounds with new science  TSB/MRC Biomedical Catalyst fund Eg: The use of light activated antimicrobials to prevent catheter related infection. Ivan Parkin, UCL

The next steps Develop new research opportunities • Academic/private sector • International • Develop new treatments • Develop new diagnostics • Develop surveillance systems • Uptake by human/animal healthcare providers •