Screening test to detect antibiotic resistance

Medical microbiologist Professor Tim Inglis, from the University of Western Australia (UWA), has been awarded US$100,000 to develop a screening test that will detect antibiotic resistance in remote and low-resource settings and ensure the right antibiotics can be prescribed.

The grant comes courtesy of Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE), an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds individuals to explore ideas that can break the mould in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges.

With antimicrobial resistance posing a huge threat to global public health — one which needs to be accurately detected, characterised and monitored — Professor Inglis and his research team are looking to provide evidence-based support for initial antibiotic prescribing decisions.

“Faster methods of detecting resistance are urgently needed so that we can reserve antibiotics for infections where they have proven benefit,” said Professor Inglis.

The team has developed a method based on flow cytometry that uses fluorescent dyes to rapidly detect changes in bacterial cells upon first exposure to an antibiotic. The funding will enable different combinations of antibiotics, bacteria and coloured dyes to be evaluated and for the test to be analysed for sensitivity and specificity.

Professor Inglis said UWA’s young researchers are already starting to profile antibiotic action fast enough to affect clinical decisions. The research group has also helped develop a crowdfunding site, Make AMR History, which will supplement the GCE support.

Professor Inglis is not the only Australian to receive a GCE grant — Associate Professor Ian Cockburn from The Australian National University (ANU) was similarly awarded for his project to make malaria vaccines more effective.

The full list of GCE winners for 2016 can be viewed on the Grand Challenges website. Applications for the next GCE round will open in September.