DOSA
Diagnostics for One Health and User Driven Solutions for AMR
Key investigator: Dr Alison Prendeville, a.prendiville@lcc.arts.ac.uk
Funded by: UK Research and Innovation Economic and Social Research Council, Newton Fund and Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology
Project summary
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could have devastating effects on modern medicine, food security and the environment as we know it today. Resistance to antibiotics presents a major challenge to societies across the globe, as microbes are rapidly becoming resistant to antibiotics due to unnecessary prescription in healthcare, blanket prescription in agriculture and careless release of antibiotics into the environment.
Recognised as a global public health issue, AMR could have a large societal and economic impact, especially in India. If the current system isn’t challenged, it is expected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, including over 9 million deaths in low and medium-income countries.
The DOSA – Diagnostics for One Health and User Driven Solutions for AMR project is led by The University of Edinburgh and the IIT Delhi, along with central teams in the UK and India, bringing together nine leading academic institutions (4 from each country). The project will focus on three key areas where AMR is a prime threat in India, such as, urinary tract infections in human health, mastitis (infection of cow’s udder) in the dairy sector, and antibiotics residue found in water from the environment.
Project aim
DOSA's is to develop how doctors make their diagnoses, which will help to reduce unnecessary consumption, blind prescription and the release of antibiotics. In turn, this will help to treat patients effectively and reduce mortality rates. Additionally, farmers will get a better economic return for their produce, reducing the transmission of resistance.
Bringing together an interdisciplinary and international team, the project aims to help researchers learn and support each other towards developing solutions to the global anti-microbial resistance crisis.
Methodologies
Researchers in social sciences, technology innovation and experts in different community settings come together to jointly address this issue. They will study current practices, user behaviours, social and economic reasons behind antibiotic consumption in India. Based on an antibiotic user mapping study, they will formulate target product profiles in order to test the three different community settings.
Partners
- Assam University, Silchar
- Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT)
- National Dairy Research Institute
- University of Edinburgh
- Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
- Silchar Medical College and Hospital
- University of Bradford
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)
- University of Southampton
Related links
- Find out more about DOSA