Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance
Basic and clinical research to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of infection.
Research in this theme is focused on improved prevention, detection and treatment of infection. Activities are concentrated on preventing the development of antimicrobial resistance through improved antimicrobial stewardship, improved detection of infection using molecular and sensor based technology, prevention of infection using novel anti-infective biomaterials and enhanced infection prevention and control strategies and improved treatment of infection through discovery of novel antibiotics and antibiotic adjuvants and markers for better evidence-based decisions on antibiotic selection.
Research themes and areas of activity
Respiratory Infectious Diseases
Research activities are focused on the use of (i) enhanced culture techniques, including culture of anaerobic bacteria and (ii) non culture methods based methods (next-generation sequencing, sensor technology) to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of lung infection in patients with respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis and COPD. (iii) determining the effect of e-cigarette vapour and cigarette smoke on the respiratory microbiome and transciptome (iv) investigating the microbiome of the domestic built environment and how this impacts chronic lung disease.
Antimicrobial stewardship
Research activities are focused on (i) clinical and epidemiological-based studies (ii) modelling regional and global AMR burden and (iii) laboratory-based studies to understand how resistance develops in micro-organisms to ensure effective use of antimicrobials to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
Novel antimicrobials and anti-infective biomaterials
Dr Nicola Irwin
Research activities are focused on the (i) development of efficient methods and biomaterials to prevent or eradicate bacterial biofilm infection (ii) discovery of new antibiotics and antibiotic adjuvants capable of either destroying biofilms or increasing their sensitivity to conventional antibiotics (iii) development of bacteriophage-derived antimicrobial agents for the detection, control and elimination of clinically important biofilms, (iv) the effects and application of cold plasma on cells and bacteria and how these effects may be utilised to enhance drug delivery and activity of conventional antibiotics and disinfectants, and (v) the development of chemical tools for the identification and detection of resistance factors and as potential resistance breakers.
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