Imperial-led network to tackle AMR and fungal disease with new UKRI funding

An Imperial-led project aims to advance our knowledge of the underlying drivers of drug-resistant fungal infections and develop countermeasures.

Led by Professor Darius Armstrong-James, The Fungal One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance (F1AMR) Network will develop solutions to help tackle the emergence of drug-resistant fungal infections. Designed around a ‘One Health’ approach – which recognises that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment – the network will cover healthcare, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries, as well as working with key policy makers. 

The F1AMR network will collaborate with seven other new networks across the UK, including experts from the University of Exeter, Queen Mary University of London, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Oxford, and the University of Birmingham. 

These new networks will support diverse teams of researchers focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), ranging from specialists in agriculture, food and the environment to human and animal medicine, policy and behavioral studies, engineering and social science. Together they’ll develop new approaches to tackling AMR across sectors and disciplines, including culture, economics, behaviour, biomedical and physical sciences, design and engineering, environmental sciences and more. 

They will share £4.8 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), awarded as part of its tackling infections strategic theme. This programme will continue next year with a new opportunity for ambitious new convergence science research programmes, drawing on a dedicated budget of at least £7 million. 

Professor Darius Armstrong-James, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medical Mycology in the Department of Infectious Disease, said: “The rapid rise of fungal antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to food security and human health. The UKRI's funding of the F1AMR Network is timely and will enable us to collaborate with key partners in the UK and globally to develop multidisciplinary solutions to combat fungal diseases across One Health.” 

Dr Colin Miles, Head of Strategy, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Growth at UKRI, said: “Rather than taking single-discipline approaches, we need researchers from across disciplines to come together and look at all aspects of the problem – from human behaviour and how we grow crops and rear animals for consumption to how we manage the environment or use technology, clinical management strategies and challenging established cultural norms.” 

This work has the potential to bolster response capabilities by tackling infectious diseases that pose threats to people, livestock, crops and natural resources in more integrated and innovative ways. The network will also serve as a platform for communication and discussion with the public, policy makers, practitioners, and those with lived experiences.

Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat that already kills over one million people around the world each year.

It has been caused in part by the widespread misuse and overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials, in humans and livestock, which has led to the global spread of drug-resistant microbes. 

If the problem is not resolved, it is estimated that by 2050, drug-resistant microbes will lead to around ten million deaths per year.