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Antimicrobial Resistance

What is AMR?

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when the pathogens that cause infection change to withstand the effects of treatments.

Read about what causes AMR and why it's such a serious threat to global health, resulting in millions of deaths per year.

Combating antimicrobial resistance through discovery science, technology development, policy, and precision medicine

Hundreds of Imperial College London researchers are working to understand and combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Below, learn how Imperial researchers across every Faculty and in dedicated Centres and Networks are funded and supported to:

Uncover resistance mechanisms and pathogen biology
Understand origins of AMR and track spread
Develop cutting-edge technological, therapeutic, diagnostic, surveillance, policy, and decision-making solutions

Origins

Exploring how resistance emerges, including through antibiotic misuse, environmental selection, and resistance mechanisms.

Explore Imperial's research to understand the origins of AMR

Transmission

Investigating how resistance spreads, including between patients, among bacterial communities, via vectors, and through the environment.

Explore Imperial research investigating transmission of AMR

Infection

Understanding how drug-resistant pathogens colonise and infect their hosts, exploring host genetics, co-infections, pathogen biology, and patient management.

Explore how Imperial researchers are studying infection

Solutions

Transforming how we treat, diagnose, monitor and control infections, including through precision prescribing, surveillance, diagnostics, and new treatments.

Explore how Imperial researchers are devising solutions

logos for Institute of Infection, NIHR HPUR HCAI and AMR, CAMO, BRC, and Networks of Excellence

AMR-focussed Centres and Networks across Imperial

AMR research takes place across all four faculties at Imperial as well as in specialised Centres and Networks.

Explore the Centres and Networks focussed on AMR research

Selected AMR projects and grants

Imperial hosts large grants and consortia focussed on AMR.

Explore some of the AMR-related projects

Find an Imperial researcher

Hundreds of researchers across the faculties of Medicine, Natural Science, Engineering and Business contribute to AMR research.

Explore a list of Imperial AMR researchers

Antimicrobial resistance news from Imperial College London researchers

Photos of Prof Shiranee Sriskandan and Dr Andy Edwards

Experts fighting bactieral resistance

November 2024: Meet the Imperial experts fighting bacterial resistance through innovation

Prof Alison Holmes appointed Director of Fleming Initiative

October 2024: Professor Alison Holmes appointed inaugural Director of the Fleming Initiative

A corner of Time Square is illuminated with a Fleming Initiative bill board

Fleming Initiative raises £100m for AMR

September 2024: Three new partners pledge additional funding and resources to the Fleming Initiative’s global efforts against AMR

Green and white capsule pills against a yellow background

GSK backs Imperial’s Fleming Initiative with £45m pledge to

May 2024: GSK will become the first partner of the new Imperial-led Fleming Initiative, which aims to tackle AMR globally.

A gloved hand holds a yellow petri dish with colonies

Fleming Initiative featured in National Action Plan on AMR

May 2024: The Fleming Initiative is named as key to achieving the Government’s ambitions for tackling AMR over the next 5 years.

Imperial-led network to tackle AMR and fungal disease

July 2024: UKRI funding to advance our knowledge of the underlying drivers of drug-resistant fungal infections & develop countermeasures.

Fleming Initiative launches new website

April 2024: Explore how the Fleming Initiative brings research, behaviour change, public engagement & policy together to provide real-world solutions

Fleming Initiative featured in National Action Plan for AMR

May 2024: The Fleming Initiative is named as key to achieving the Government’s ambitions for tackling antimicrobial resistance over the next 5 years.

Photo of the Houses of Parliament from across the river

Fleming Initiative's innovative media network fighting AMR

May 2024: Fleming Initiative unites clinician creators & communication experts to launch CHAIN: an innovative media network fighting AMR

Collage of photos from the panel discussion and networking

Event: Impact of AI on AMR: Common themes & challenges

Feb 2024: Event exploring visions, themes & challenges around the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Illustration of Salmonella bacteria - Shutterstock

Government backs Fleming Centre to fight threat of AMR

Nov 2023: The UK Government commits £5M to support the Fleming Centre which aims to put society at the heart of solving AMR threat

Event: CBRB Symposium 2023

25th September, 9:00-17:00; Sir Alexander Fleming Building

Wearable devices for precise antibiotic dosing

August 2023: Are wearable devices the future of precise antibiotic dosing?

Antibiotics promote the growth of resistant gut bacteria

August 2023: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria thrive when drugs kill 'good' gut bacteria

Lateral cotransduction: A new gene transfer mechanism

August 2023: Breakthrough discovery sheds light on a novel pathway through which bacteria evolve

Citizen science shows widespread fungal resistance

July 2023: 1 in 20 spores we inhale found to be resistant

Prince William to patron appeal to build The Fleming Centre

July 2023: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London have launched an appeal to build The Fleming Centre, with Prince William

New global research consortium to optimise antibiotic use

April 2023: CAMO-Net will support translational research to help tackle the main drivers of antimicrobial resistance.

Gut bacteria use super-polymers to dodge antibiotics

April 2023: Gut bacteria form extracellular appendages called F-pili to transfer genes

International diagnostics network to tackle AMR

November 2023: Network to tackle challenges of new diagnostics combatting antimicrobial resistance

2021: Imperial Story: AMR - A silent pandemic

Exploring how Imperial researchers are seeking ways to battle AMR

Past news

See our list of past news AMR news stories from Imperial researchers

Contacts

Institute of Infection theme lead for AMR: Dr Andy Edwards
For any other queries, contact Dr Melanie Bradnam (Manager, Institute of Infection)
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