Join us as we host two researchers whose work takes us to explore the ​world of bacteria and how we are locked in a battle to develop antibiotics to fight them. 

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How bacteria outsmart us 

Alicia Berkvens

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Antibiotics have been around for a decade, so why does treating harmful bugs become more difficult? How can a drug that effectively wipes out one type of bacterium, be completely useless for treating that same type a week later? How is it possible that in a group of bacteria that are genetic clones of each other, when given the same antibiotic, most might be killed but a fraction stays alive?  

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We will discuss some of the fascinating ways bacteria can evade being killed by antibiotics. Highlighting the difficulties we are facing now that numbers of bacteria outsmarting our drugs are rising. 

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Antimicrobial resistance, the silent pandemic 

Vicky Charitou

 

Antibiotics were the wonder drug of the 20th century as they helped increase the human lifespan and quality of life. However, more and more people are dying every year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria making antimicrobial resistance the new silent pandemic. We now know how pandemics can turn our lives upside-down, so the question is how prepared are we for this one? What is the current state of research for new antibiotics and what are the things all of us should do to prevent antibiotic misuse? If we all act together we can escape the threat of a post-antibiotic era, after all the teamwork makes the dream work! 

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