The new WHO Collaborating Centre for Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has been officially launched at the Royal Institution in London.
Hosted by the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, the Centre will play a critical role in supporting global efforts to expand and standardise genomic surveillance for AMR.
Designated by the World Health Organization (WHO), this new Collaborating Centre focuses on supporting global efforts to strengthen genomic surveillance of AMR. The Centre will support the development of standardised laboratory protocols, bioinformatics tools, and technical guidance, and will contribute to WHO’s strategic priorities in tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance through enhanced data generation, integration and use.
Principal Investigator Professor David Aanensen, Director of the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance and lead of the new WHO Collaborating Centre, said: ‘Genomic surveillance provides vital insights into how drug-resistant infections spread and evolve. By working in close partnership with WHO and global collaborators, we can help turn data into action, supporting national and global responses to the growing AMR crisis.’
The WHO AMR Surveillance and Quality Assessment Collaborating Centres Network is a longstanding mechanism through which WHO partners with academic and scientific institutions to support WHO’s efforts on AMR surveillance and quality standards at global, regional and national level. There are 38 Collaborating Centres specifically designated to support WHO’s work on AMR, each designated for a renewable four-year period to provide strategic support in areas ranging from communicable diseases to health systems development.
Dr Silvia Bertagnolio, Unit Head for Surveillance, Evidence and Laboratory Strengthening in WHO’s AMR Division, said: ‘WHO is committed to strengthening the use of pathogen genomics to guide public health action. This new Collaborating Centre will support WHO’s efforts to build the technical foundations necessary for countries to generate and interpret genomic data, thereby enhancing routine surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.’
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine website.