Health experts, academics, business leaders and local students will take centre stage at antimicrobial resistance conference as BioInfect returns to Liverpool
- The annual BioInfect event at The Spine will discuss the issues surrounding the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and how it can be tackled
- Speakers at the event include representatives from CARB-X, Kineticos Life Sciences, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Students from Liverpool Life Sciences UTC are set to bring the event to a close by presenting plans on how to raise awareness of AMR
AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats. According to a 2022 article published in the Lancet, it is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
Without effective tools for the prevention and adequate treatment of drug-resistant infections and improved access to existing and new quality-assured antimicrobials, the number of people for whom treatment is failing or who die of infections will increase.
Medical procedures, such as routine surgery including caesarean sections or hip replacements, cancer chemotherapy, and organ transplantation, will all become riskier.
A recent BBC report revealed that AMR is a growing issue in Ukraine, where more than 80% of all patients admitted to Feofaniya Hospital in Kyiv have infections caused by microbes which are resistant to antibiotics.
Keynote speakers at the Liverpool event are Erin Duffy, Chief of Research & Development of CARB-X - a global nonprofit partnership focused on supporting the development of new antibacterial products, Lloyd Payne, Drug Discovery Executive at Kineticos Life Sciences, and Jeff Grainger, Associate Director in Research Strategy and Programmes at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Panels at the event will explore topics including the current pipeline of new drugs, how the North of England can lead the charge against AMR, and a showcase of projects underway funded by UK Research and Innovation.
The event will culminate with a presentation from students at Liverpool Life Sciences UTC who will offer their views on what needs to be done to better engage young people in the battle against AMR.
BioInfect is organised by Bionow, which supports business growth, competitiveness, and innovation within the biomedical and life science sectors across the North.
Dr Geoff Davison, CEO of Bionow, said: “It’s acknowledged that the notion of the world returning to a pre-antibiotic era has horrific implications and would reverse decades of medical advances. It’s been nearly ten years since a historic United Nations declaration in 2016 in which all countries pledged to address the issue, but limited progress has been made. BioInfect has therefore never been more important.
“We will examine urgent topics including the increasing threat of AMR and how it can be addressed, including working towards an integrated, unifying approach that aims to achieve optimal and sustainable health outcomes. We‘ll also hear about the latest developments in antimicrobial stewardship; increased investment and innovation in new treatments at all stages of the drug development pipeline and ensuring ROI in the development of new antimicrobials.”
Dr Neil Murray, CEO of Renewvax, a University of Liverpool spin out which is a partner in the event, added: “BioInfect is always an inspiring and energising event for those of us working in AMR. While it will be fascinating to hear from industry colleagues at the coalface of this most urgent issue, I am especially looking forward to the presentation from the students at Liverpool Life Sciences UTC.
“It is young people like these who have most to lose from AMR and their voice is vital on this issue. Just as we saw Greta Thunberg inspire a whole generation in the fight against climate change, we need figureheads from the younger generation to bring the catastrophic consequences of AMR to the wider attention of the general public.”
To see the event’s full agenda and to register, please visit: https://bionow.co.uk/event/BIONOW195/2025-bioinfect-conference
