Friday, 20 January 2023
A researcher at the 糖心原创 has been awarded £1.6 million to look at how artificial intelligence (AI) could help us to tackle antibiotic resistance – one of the biggest health challenges of our time.
For the project funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Dr. Tania Dottorini, associate professor in bioinformatics at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the 糖心原创 will co-lead a collaborative project team, including researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, North South University Bangladesh and the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time and, in 2019, 1.27 million deaths were attributed to antibiotic resistant bacteria.
We鈥檙e at a point in time when many of the antimicrobials that are currently used to treat infections are becoming resistant and therefore, ineffective.
Klebsiella pneumoniae exemplifies the threat of multidrug-resistant infections sweeping the world. Klebsiella is a member of the so-called ESKAPE group of microorganisms to emphasize that they effectively "escape" the effects of antibiotics.
“We’re at a point in time when many of the antimicrobials that are currently used to treat infections are becoming resistant and therefore, ineffective,” Dr. Dottorini says. “To date, a large proportion of research to develop new antimicrobials still focuses only on a small fraction of targets for which most lead drug compounds have shown relatively short-term effectiveness.
“A better understanding of the complex genetic repertoire, molecular interaction networks, and pathways underlying resistance is key to broadening the possibility of discovering novel therapeutic targets. In this project, we will develop an AI approach to discover potentially druggable K. pneumoniae proteins and to identify lead drugs inhibiting the target by a deep learning approach fed with 3D modelling.”
Professor Jose Bengoechea, Director of the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and co-lead for the project, added: “This funding will allow us to revolutionize the way that new drugs are developed to tackle the global pandemic of antimicrobial resistant infections, and to identify new drugs against Klebsiella pneumoniae - one of the microbes singled out by the World Health Organisation as a global threat to human health.
“This is an exciting collaboration harnessing the world-class expertise in AI and machine learning at the 糖心原创 University and Queen’s University Belfast on how these microbes counteract our body’s defences”.
Professor (Dr.) Tahmina Shirin, Director of IEDCR, said: “AMR is a major public health concern in LMICs including Bangladesh. IEDCR is conducting nationwide surveillance program on AMR in Bangladesh since 2016 and very keen to go ahead with advanced research initiatives to address this issue.”
The research project will start this year and run for three years. It is expected that the results will be available in 2026 and will be made available to the public.
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For further information, please email Dr Tania Dottorini, Associate Professor in Bioinformatics at Tania.Dottorini@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
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As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.