Knocking Out AMR summary workshop report published today
12 September 2024
In January, to kick off the ‘Knocking Out AMR’ project, the Microbiology Society hosted a series of solution-oriented, invite-only workshops dedicated to our priority solution areas: diagnostics, surveillance, therapeutics and vaccines.
The workshops aimed to improve our understanding of how current systems prevent the development and implementation of solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and how those systems interact are transdisciplinary, acting across research fields, disciplines and sectors. International microbiologists from clinical, industrial, and academic settings, along with representatives from government agencies, funding bodies, not-for-profit organizations, and regulators, participated in these discussions. The series was chaired by Dr Tina Joshi from the University of Plymouth and Dr Catrin Moore from St George’s, University of London.
While the outcomes of the workshops were not exhaustive, they highlighted some of the key issues the AMR community faces and identified critical interventions necessary to drive forward the solutions to AMR. The systems mapping approach revealed the profound complexity involved in addressing AMR and highlighted how interconnected and multifaceted the AMR landscape is, involving multiple sectors and disciplines, each facing common barriers.
Emerging themes for opportunities across the workshops included:
- Enhancing outward-facing communication to underscore the urgency of addressing AMR.
- Galvanising essential funding and political support by making an economic case for AMR.
Just as the 1.5°C climate threshold provides a clear and compelling narrative for climate change, workshop participants highlighted the need to develop a similarly simple and effective talking point to communicate the urgency of the AMR crisis. Discussions also centred around refining economic models to expedite the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics, and advocating for investment in healthcare infrastructure and workforce capacity. Additionally, participants emphasised the importance of comprehensive data-sharing strategies to bolster global AMR surveillance and research efforts.
The insights from the workshop series helped to inform the Microbiology Society’s programme of work to deliver the Knocking Out AMR project. A key takeaway from the workshops is the need to break down the siloed working systems within AMR, enabling truly collaborative, multi-disciplinary working and knowledge sharing. You can find out more about the project’s activities in the Knocking Out AMR vision statement here.
The full report is now available to read here:
KOAMR_workshop_reports.pdf
.