AI-Powered Initiative Launches to Combat Growing Threat of Drug-Resistant Superbugs
LONDON – A major new collaboration leveraging artificial intelligence is launching to accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics and predict the spread of drug-resistant infections, as concerns mount over the escalating global crisis of antimicrobial resistance. The Fleming Initiative, named for Alexander Fleming who discovered penicillin in 1928, will utilize AI to both identify potential new drugs and forecast the emergence of “superbugs,” including deadly fungal infections.
The project arrives as antibiotic resistance reaches critical levels, threatening to reverse decades of medical progress. Nearly 400 new antibiotic-resistant infections are being detected each week in the UK alone, according to recent government data. The initiative aims to address the urgent need for new treatments and preventative measures, recognizing that antibiotics are “one of the greatest health resources that has been squandered,” according to Alison Holmes, director of the Fleming Initiative. “Weather it’s that time we stepped on a nail…or our UTI, or our STI – we all depend on them,” she said.
The collaboration will employ AI, similar to weather forecasting models, to predict how superbugs emerge and spread. Researchers will also expand the scope beyond bacteria, applying AI to tackle the increasing threat of fungal infections, beginning with Aspergillus mould, which can be deadly for individuals with compromised immune systems.
GSK’s chief scientific officer,Tony Wood,stated the project “will open up new approaches for the discovery of novel antibiotics and also anticipate and outpace the development of resistance to transform the treatment and prevention of serious infections.” Researchers in the US and Canada are already utilizing AI to identify and even design antibiotics targeting resistant bacteria like gonorrhoea.
Fleming himself warned of the dangers of antibiotic resistance as early as 80 years ago,even before receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery.The Fleming Initiative seeks to build on his legacy by proactively addressing a challenge that threatens global health security.
