Dear All,
I previously wrote (link) about the first of Jason Gale‘s 4-part podcast series on AMR. The whole series is now out and definitely worth your time. Each podcast is about 30 minutes long … please set aside a bit of time to listen to all four! Here they are:
#1: In a detailed look at the impact of XDR (extreme drug resistance), Jason talks with Abdul Ghafur about how XDR is reducing the ability to deliver chemotherapy in India. Key quote: “Yes, your cancer will be controlled, but then you may die of infection.” Go here to listen.
#2: Here we learn of the resurgence of interest in bacteriophages and hear a story about phage therapy to manage a patient with infection due to a completely resistant Acinetobacter. Key quote: “Acinetobacter has acquired superpowers … it’s a kleptomaniac and steals resistance genes from other bacteria.” Go here to listen. The idea of phage therapy is so interesting: it certainly appears that it works from time to time but it’s been hard to reduce it to a practical and consistent therapy. For more, see the papers referenced in this prior blog.
#3: This podcast focuses on Lindsay Grayson’s work on screening hospital patients for carriage of resistant bacteria and how careful hospital procedures can reduce spread of these bacteria. Key quote: “If more and more of us are carrying these hand grenades in our intestines, then danger could lurk anywhere!” Go here to listen.
#4: Finally, this podcast looks at the global spread of resistant bacteria and the way that analysis of airplane toilet waste can identify regional hot spots.The podcast then concludes with a look at the path forward. Key quote: “The return on investment is clear: If we invest now … it will pay off now, it will pay off dramatically … not just in human lives and suffering but in keeping our hospitals open and working.” Go here to listen.
Many thanks to Jason for assembling these informative podcasts!
All best wishes, –jr
John H. Rex, MD | Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd. | Expert-in-Residence, Wellcome Trust. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnRex_NewAbx. See past newsletters and subscribe for the future: https://13.43.35.2/blog/
Upcoming meetings of interest to the AMR community:
- 3 Oct 2019 (webinar, 17:00-18:30 CEST): REVIVE webinar entitled “Natural product antibiotics: from traditional screening to novel discovery approaches.” Go here to register.
- 2-6 Oct 2019 (Washington, DC): IDSA’s annual IDWeek meeting.
- 8 Oct 2019 (London): Launch of “Reviewing Antimicrobial Resistance: Where Are We Now and What Needs to Be Done?”, a follow-up to the UK AMR Review‘s report and recommendations. Go here to register.
- 10 Oct 2019 (online): Deadline for feedback to the Global AMR R&D Hub on their draft Collaboration Framework. Go here to tell them what you think!
- 11 Oct 2019 (online): Deadline for Novo REPAIR’s 2019 US-Canada investment round. Go here for details — you need to dig all the way to the bottom of the web page.
- 16 Oct 2019 (FDA, White Oak): Advisory Committee for NDA 209445, cefiderocol lyophilized powder for intravenous administration, submitted by Shionogi Inc., for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis due to gram-negative bacteria in patients with limited or no alternative treatment options. Go here for details.
- 19-27 Oct 2019 (Annecy, France): International Course on Antibiotics and Resistance (ICARe) – A soup-to-nuts intensive residential training program on all things AMR, especially R&D for new antibiotics. See this link for details.
- 4 Nov 2019 (FDA, White Oak): Public hearing on FDA’s proposed rules for “Use of Fecal Microbiota for Transplantation to Treat Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile.” Go here for the online FR notice and here for the .pdf version.
- 7 Nov 2019 (webinar, 17:00-18:30 CEST): REVIVE webinar entitled “Converting Gram-positive-only compounds into broad-spectrum antibiotics.” Go here to register.
- 14-15 Nov 2019 (Hamilton, Ontario): “Fueling the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance”, a 2-day Gairdner Foundation-sponsored symposium in collaboration with the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and the David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery at McMaster University. Go here for details.
- 19 Nov 2019 (London): BSAC seminar entitled “Into clinical practice: Meeting the challenges of Gram-negative infection management”. A one-day conference on treatments for Gram-negative infections. Go here for details.
- 28-29 Nov 2019 (Birmingham, UK): BSAC workshop entitled “ARM (Antibiotic Resistance & Mechanisms)”. This meeting is a research forum for UK-based researchers at all levels, including PhD students and technicians. Go here for details.
- 16-18 Dec 2019 (Bangkok, Thailand): 3rd International Symposium on Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Production. Go here for details: https://www.ars.usda.gov/alternativestoantibiotics/
- 21 Jan 2020 (London): BSAC’s 2nd Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Conference – An ABC for everyone involved in developing new antimicrobials. Go here for details.
- 20 Feb 2020 (London, UK): Westminster Health Forum conference entitled “Antimicrobial resistance – coordinating a global response and progress on the UK strategy.” Go here for details.
- 26-27 Feb 2020 (Washington, DC): US PACCARB public meeting. Go here for details.
- 1-6 Mar 2020 (Il Ciocco, Tuscany, Italy): GRC on Antibacterial Discovery and Development: “Now is the time to re-boot antibiotic R&D before it’s too little, too late.” Go here for details.
- 12-13 Mar 2020 (Basel, I’m told): BEAM-, Novo REPAIR-, CARB-X-, DZIF-, ND4BB-, ENABLE-supported (among a long list!) Conference on Novel Antimicrobials and AMR Diagnostics. Final location is TBD, details will appear here, and you should mark your calendar now.
- 16-17 Mar 2020 (London): BSAC Spring Conference entitled: “Bridging the gap between science, policy and effective antimicrobial use.” Go here for details.
- 18-21 Apr 2020 (Paris): Annual ECCMID meeting (#30)
- 25-30 May 2020 (Rotterdam), Annual ESPID meeting (European Society for Pediatric ID, #38)
- 10-13 Apr 2021 (Vienna): Annual ECCMID meeting (#31)
- 1-4 Sep 2020 (Dublin): Annual ASM-ESCMID Conference on Antibiotic Development #5! Mark your calendar now, details to follow.
- 9-10 Sep 2020 (Washington, DC): US PACCARB public meeting. Go here for details.