Taking on the superbugs
1 min read - 2 Feb 2017
According to the Special Eurobarometer 445 Report: Antimicrobial Resistance, April 2016 – Ireland ranks third highest in the EU for antibiotic use with our usage rates at 44% compared to an EU average of 34%.
‘The use and misuse of antibiotics has allowed drugs to develop resistance to bacteria strains. If antibiotics no longer work, we are headed for an era where common infections or minor cuts could lead to death, not discomfort,’ said Dr Graham Love, Chief Executive at the HRB.
‘Ireland’s membership in JPIMAR will enable more Irish researchers to engage in innovative, interdisciplinary and public-private partnerships and be part of European efforts to tackle this global problem,’ he added.
Details of the first JPIAMR grant call available to Irish researchers under this scheme has been posted in the Grants section of the HRB website. Ms Kay Duggan-Walls from the HRB has been nominated to be Ireland’s representative on JPIAMR Management Board.
You can read about some recent HRB-funded breakthroughs in the area of superbugs in this story about NUIG’s Professor James O’Gara’s discoveries about MRSA. The article also has a link to his interview on RTE Radio 1.
1 min read - 2 Feb 2017