INEOS, Oxford University to set up institute for antimicrobial research

INEOS and the University of Oxford are launching a new institute to combat the growing global issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It currently causes an estimated 1.5 million excess deaths each year- and could cause over 10 million deaths per year by 2050. It is predicted to also create a global economic toll of $100 trillion by mid-century.

No new antibiotics have been successfully developed since the 1980s. The new Ineos Oxford Institute will create collaborative and cross-disciplinary links across the sciences and will be based between two sites in Oxford, linking the University’s Department of Chemistry with the new Life & Mind Building, which is currently under construction.

The majority of global antibiotic consumption by volume is used for agriculture, and drug use in animals is contributing significantly to their lessening effectiveness in humans. The Ineos Oxford Institute for AMR Research (IOI) will therefore focus on designing novel antimicrobials just for animals, as well as exploring new human drugs.

Alongside its drug discovery work, the IOI intends to partner with other global leaders in the field of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to raise awareness and promote the responsible use of antimicrobial drugs. The academic team will contribute to research on the type and extent of drug-resistant microbes across the world, and critically, will seek to attract and train the brightest minds in science to tackle this ‘silent pandemic’.