Imperial College London will play host to scientists from across the UK to discuss joint research to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance.

Researchers from National Institute for Health Research funded Health Protection Research Units in Oxford and Bristol will join researchers from the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London on 27^th November at Imperial’s South Kensington campus.

The meeting, chaired by Professor Mike Sharland, the chair of ARHAI, will bring together key investigators from the three research units to explore the potential for collaborative research between the centres. It is hoped that the researchers can identify gaps in current research and discuss how best to address them.

By collaborating on research the centres can provide added value for the NIHR investment into research in this topic and enable the centres to develop a platform for further proposals.

At the recent launch of Imperial’s interdepartmental Antimicrobial Research Collaborative, Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said:

“Drug-resistant infections are one of the great health challenges of our time. We need the best and brightest minds from all academic disciplines and all sectors to contribute to the fight.”

The fight against drug resistance is not just fought in the laboratory. Initiatives such as Antibiotic Guardian and Imperial’s NIHR HPRU in HCAI and AMR show how members of the public can help to prevent resistant bugs from spreading.