Analysing the emergence of anti-microbial resistance among different bacterial species
Description: Antibiotics can be considered the crown jewels of modern medicine. Not only do they cure potentially deadly infections within patients, they also allow physicians to explore new ranges of treatments. Chemotherapy, surgery and organ transplantation, for example, would’ve proven too risky to pursue in a pre-antibiotic world. The looming resistance crisis for antibiotics is therefore of great concern, with current predictions estimating that by 2050 resistant bacteria will kill more people globally than cancer. Much is still to be explored in terms of how resistance develops within bacterial populations, how quickly it can spread and how clinical interventions can affect its spread. This study will look at how the structure evident within the genetic code of different infectious bacterial species can affect the spread of resistance. We will use, and develop, new computational tools to allow for more precise delineation of bacterial DNA into components that are mobile between species or are core to certain species. This data, coupled with information on the ecology and clinical contexts of these bacteria, will allow for greater inference of the conditions favourable to the evolution of resistance. The results of this work will inform strategies to control the spread of resistance.
Funder: Wellcome Trust
Funding type: training-grant
Funder scheme: Population and Public Health
Start date: 2018-10-01
End date: 2022-06-08
Investigator: Joshua D'Aeth
Institution: Imperial College London
Funded outputs count: 11
Funder award ID: 215193
OpenAlex ID: G4377586744