Our £5 million Digital Health Hub for AMR, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to increase knowledge and skills sharing among diverse groups, from researchers and healthcare workers to those working in animal health and environmental agencies, to policymakers, charities, industry and the public. We seek to transform AMR surveillance of and stewardship of antibiotics by harnessing digital technologies that played such a key role during the pandemic.

Harnessing digital technologies to transform antimicrobial One-Health surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobials underpin modern medicine – from cancer treatments to immunotherapies and surgery. However, these advances are now at risk due to the rise of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Today, AMR ranks among the gravest risks to human health and is often called the silent pandemic.

AMR refers to when microorganisms (such as bacteria) change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat. Due to the rise of AMR, microorganisms that once were treatable with front-line antimicrobials are becoming more difficult to treat, risking disease spread, prolonged severe illness and death. AMR cuts across many sectors, as resistant pathogens can be transmitted between animals, humans and food, but this interconnectedness is poorly understood and data remains in silos. 

  • System-level needs

    Nuturing a new culture of cross-sector engagement to accelerate the creation and adoption of digital health innovations for AMR One-Health surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship.

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  • Skills and Capacity

    Growing interdisciplinary skills, capacity, knowledge sharing and leadership needed to deliver a world-leading digital health strategy for combatting AMR.

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  • Grand Challenges

    Co-creating digital health solutions for two grand challenges:

    i) Digital one-health surveillance of antibiotic use and AMR, linking human, animal and environmental data.

    ii) Digital antimicrobial stewardship via decision support algorithms, digital diagnostics, apps and sensors.

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  • Partnership Fund

    Growing a hub of innovation by seeding interdisciplinary partnerships and pilot studies between industry, academia, health and social care, animal health and environment partners.

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  • Impact and Engagement

    To maximise impact and investment through our communications strategy, patient and public engagement across all areas of focus, biannual conferences and events.

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“Antimicrobial resistance ranks among the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity, and has been called the ‘silent pandemic’. Our EPSRC digital health hub will bring together a brilliant team of interdisciplinary researchers to explore the enormous potential of digital health for one-health antimicrobial resistance, and currently siloed data sets spanning humans, animals and the environment.”

Professor Rachel McKendry (London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL and UCL Division of Medicine), Co-Investigator

“Antimicrobial resistance causes more deaths worldwide than HIV and malaria. This project represents a fantastic opportunity to bring scientists, industry experts, health and social care workers, and policymakers together to tackle this global public health priority by harnessing the potential of data and digital technologies.”

Professor Laura Shallcross (UCL Institute of Health Informatics), Co-Investigator and Deputy Director

“At the moment, the antimicrobial resistance picture is still quite fragmented. This digital health hub will bring together datasets and the stakeholder community to produce new and integrated solutions to help tackle the rise of antimicrobial resistance.”

Professor David Jones, (Bangor University), Co-Investigator and Deputy Director