Government of Canada continues to invest in research to address global health threat of antimicrobial resistance

$300,000 investment will enable closer collaboration between key players studying AMR and infectious diseases

FREDERICTON, March 16, 2018 /CNW/ - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change so that drugs that were previously effective against them stop working. Left unchecked, the rise of AMR has the potential to undermine health care providers' ability to control infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis and to provide medical procedures such as C-sections and chemotherapy.

Researchers can have the biggest impact if they are well connected and work together to tackle a health threat like AMR. To help make this a reality, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, today announced an investment of $300,000 to support three projects focused on improving our understanding of how key players in Canada and internationally can be better connected and work together collaboratively to tackle AMR.

This funding will support three research teams located at the University of New Brunswick, the Université de Sherbrooke, and the University of Ottawa.

For example, Dr. Suzanne Hindmarch, Dr. Malcolm King and their majority-Indigenous research team  will consult with Indigenous organizations in Canada to learn about their perspectives on AMR. Dr. King and Dr. Hindmarch's team will examine the extent to which Indigenous organizations see AMR as a health challenge in their communities and how Indigenous organizations have, and would like to be, involved in the Canadian and international groups and networks that are working to address AMR.

Quotes

"Our government is proud to support the work done by our researchers. The contribution announced today will help us tackle antimicrobial resistance and will support Canadian researchers who will collaborate with international colleagues as part of the global response to AMR."
Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health

"The investment announced today is critically important because it is putting some of Canada's brightest minds to work, in order to stimulate new scientific knowledge about AMR for the benefit of all Canadians. AMR is one of the biggest threats to global public health, food safety, and development today, and it is important to remember that anyone, of any age, in any country can be affected."
Dr. Steven Hoffman
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health

"Mitigating the impacts of antimicrobial resistance is one of my top priorities for protecting the health of Canadians. We must not underestimate the public health impact of AMR. This investment in global collaboration will advance research and innovation to help us avoid a future in which now treatable infections could once again be deadly."
Dr. Theresa Tam
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer

"UNB is proud to play a role in addressing this important health concern. This investment will help Dr. Hindmarch, Dr.King and their talented team of researchers expand the networks of understanding around antimicrobial research to include Indigenous perspectives and knowledge and help find solutions that will benefit all Canadians."
Dr. Eddy Campbell
President of the University of New Brunswick

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At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

Backgrounder

Antimicrobial Resistance Global Governance

In response to the increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a global health threat, in May 2017 the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's (CIHR) Institutes of Infection and Immunity and Population and Public Health launched a funding opportunity for research projects to help build closer ties between the networks of researchers who are addressing AMR and other health threats that transcend borders. 

As a result of this funding opportunity, CIHR approved the following three projects, for a total investment of $300,000.

Researcher	Institution	Project	Funding Amount
Ronald Labonté	University of Ottawa	Dr. Labonté's study aims to advance Canadian research expertise through the identification of research gaps in global governance arrangements, structures, and institutions addressing AMR and related infectious disease threats. It also intends to develop an interdisciplinary Canadian network of researchers, scholars, and knowledge users in the global governance of AMR.	$100,000
Suzanne Hindmarch and Malcolm King	University of New Brunswick	This project, led by a majority-Indigenous research team, will consult with Indigenous organizations in Canada to learn about their perspectives on AMR. It will examine the extent to which Indigenous organizations see AMR as a health challenge in their communities, and how Indigenous organizations have, and would like to be, involved in the Canadian and international groups and networks that are working to address AMR.	$100,000
Louis-Patrick Haraoui	Université de Sherbrooke	This project aims to study the links between the emergence of AMR and conflict settings. It will combine approaches from the fields of anthropology, medicine, law, and public health to the case study of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAb), one of the three most critical pathogens identified by the World Health Organization for the development of new antibiotics.	$100,000

The overall goal of these projects is to encourage and support collaborations across the social sciences currently studying the arrangements, systems, and institutions working to prevent, detect, and manage AMR, so that Canada is more connected globally in the international fight against AMR. With such a foundation, lasting collaborations among researchers across all four CIHR pillars (biomedical, clinical, health system, population and public health) are expected to be built.

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SOURCE Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Thierry Bélair, Office of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 613-941-4563, [e-mail]; Hannah Classen, Communications Officer, University of New Brunswick, 506-443-3917