Fleming Initiative: Partnering to tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance
We have become a founding partner of a new multidisciplinary initiative working to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Overview
We have joined the Fleming Initiative with a contribution of £25 million, helping the initiative reach its initial funding milestone of £100 million to kickstart a global programme of work.
As well as funding, we are contributing resources and our early translation expertise in drug discovery, intellectual property management and technology transfer to help tackle the global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
About the Fleming Initiative
Established by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the Fleming Initiative brings together research scientists, policymakers, clinicians, behavioural experts, and public and commercial partners to deliver a unified and innovative approach to tackling AMR.
Structured to maximise real-world impact, the initiative will deliver its work through 4 workstreams: behavioural science, translational science, policy, and public engagement and involvement.
The global programmes will focus on addressing the drivers of AMR, developing international networks of AMR expertise, and defining strategic research priorities to deliver solutions to urgent challenges. Initial efforts will focus on areas of increasing importance, including:
- closing the diagnostic gap for half of the world’s population who do not have the right tools to fight infections
- slowing the rising tide of fungal antimicrobial resistance (fAMR)
- understanding the intersection between AMR, climate change and environmental data to map and predict the transmission of resistant infections
About antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
AMR threatens to undermine the progress made by modern medicine; without action, the most common infections or routine procedures could become life-threatening. Recent studies show that 1.91 million people are currently dying as a direct result of AMR, and failure to address the problem could result in 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050.
