As part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) Medilink Midlands and Cytecom hosted their annual ‘Innovations against AMR’ event at Warwick University. The event was designed to bring together experts and stakeholders from across the AMR landscape to share insights, showcase innovations and foster collaboration. BIVDA were represented at the event by Lucy Lehane, who was invited to participate in the Diagnostics panel discussion alongside Phil Packer (Innovate UK), BIVDA member Bob Roopra (Roopra Medical) and William Finch (Oxford Vacmedix).
It was a very helpful meeting, where cutting-edge academics shared their research alongside discussions from industry experts focussed on real-world implementation, policy and surveillance. By joining together all of the stakeholders from across the landscape it allowed the discussions to reach further and potentially bring more impact.
The meeting began with a call to action from Dame Sally Davies and in her opening remarks, she reminded us all of the importance of continuing to fight against AMR and use all of the tools we have available.
Next, we heard from Professor Chris Dowson, in a session that focussed on the research to commercialisation process and making an impact. He reminded us of the importance of making sure the leaders of tomorrow understand the challenges of AMR.
Professor Kim Hardie from the National Biofilms Innovation Centre then shared their important and fascinating research, and how and where biofilms impact our everyday life.
The Microbiology Society hosted a policy workshop in the afternoon, where we heard from the society about the work they are doing to drive policy action. It was an interactive session, with audience members all contributing to the discussions and bringing their perspectives which was a great way to understand all of the different viewpoints represented in the room. Professor David Eyre from Oxford Biomedical Research Centre closed the day by sharing the latest data on AMR in cancer patients, and the environmental impact.
BIVDA continues to take its place at the table of the important and relevant conversations where diagnostics is a huge part of the story. To hear more about the Diagnostics Panel and the insights shared, drop an email to Lucy.Lehane@BIVDA.org.uk.
