Category: News and press

Key takeaways and a video recording of the first live webinar in the JPIAMR webinar series on AMR in a post-pandemic world are now available.

The first live webinar in the JPIAMR webinar series on AMR in a post-pandemic world, Have antibiotics been appropriately used in the COVID-19 pandemic?, was held on the 25th of June. 

The webinar panel was moderated by Jesús Rodriguez Baño (ES), with panellists Gian Maria Rossolini (IT), Constance Schultsz (NL), Evelina Tacconelli (IT), Srinivas Murthy (CA), Norio Ohmagari (JP) and Alison Holmes (UK).

A conclusion made from the dicussion is that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the Achilles heel of the fight against antimicrobial resistance since as soon as there is clinical uncertainty antimicrobial usage increases. Other key takeaways from the webinar are:

• Antibiotics were excessively used early in the COVID-19 pandemic
• Redundancy for diagnostics need to be implemented to maintain the capacity to diagnose bacterial and fungal pathogens, even under emergency situations
• Antimicrobial stewardship procedures must remain in place in the COVID-19 pandemic, or any future pandemic
• Collection and analysis of global data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AMR is needed, including data from low and middle income-countries (LMIC)
• Clinical and scientific teamwork has been strong during the COVID-19 pandemic

A video recording of the full webinar is now available:

Webinar video: Have antibiotics been appropriately used in the COVID-19 pandemic?

Other seminars in this series: AMR Research: Facilitating AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic

More information on the webinar series: AMR research in a post pandemic world

On September 3-4 JPIAMR is organising the online workshop Interventions to Reduce the Development and Transmission of AMR.

In 2021, JPIAMR, with the support of the European Commission, will launch a new call for projects in the area of AMR transmission and interventions. In order to refine the scope of this action, JPIAMR in collaboration with the French National Research Agency (ANR) is organising an online workshop specifically focused on this research area.

The main goals of the workshop Interventions to Reduce the Development and Transmission of AMR are:

• To identify the recent progress in the research area of AMR transmission, with a specific focus on the results obtained by the projects funded by JPIAMR in 2016 and 2017 – The Call on Transmission Dynamics and the Call on Prevention and Intervention strategies to Control AMR infections.
• To identify the gaps and needs and the future challenges in the research area of AMR transmission.

The workshop will be organised in two half-day sessions entirely dedicated to scientific discussions and debates. Videos presenting the results obtained by the projects funded by JPIAMR will be available shortly before the workshop.

Read more about the event at the workshop page Interventions to Reduce the Development and Transmission of AMR.

The registration for the event has closed.

JPIAMR is organising a series of webinars to highlight and clarify the importance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic and future viral pandemics.

JPIAMR is organising a series of live webinars to highlight and clarify the importance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic and future viral pandemics.

In the webinars world-leading researchers and clinicians discuss the prevalence of bacterial co-infections, best practise and appropriate use of antibiotics, and opportunities and challenges for AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antibiotic Use: Have antibiotics been appropriately used in the COVID-19 pandemic?
June 25, 13.00-14.00 CEST

Moderator: Jesús Rodriguez Baño (ES)
Panellists: Gian Maria Rossolini (IT), Constance Schultsz (NL), Evelina Tacconelli (IT), Srinivas Murthy (CA), Norio Ohmagari (JP) and Alison Holmes (UK)

AMR Research: Facilitating AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic
June 25, 14.30-15.30 CEST

Moderator: Till Bachmann (UK)
Panellists: Rafael Canton (ES), Adam Roberts (UK), Birgitta Henriques Normark (SE), Neil Clancy (US), George Haringhuizen (NL) and Benedikt Huttner (WHO)

A third webinar on the theme Societal Preparation: How should society prepare for AMR as a global health threat? will be organised in the autumn of 2020.

To register to the webinars and read more, please visit the webinar registration page.

184 pre-proposals involving 1065 partners were submitted by closing date, totalling a sum of 179.5 M€ in requested funding.

In February 2020 the three Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) on Water, Oceans and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in collaboration with the European Commission launched the Aquatic Pollutants joint transnational call for research and innovation projects on risks posed to human health and the environment by pollutants and pathogens present in the water resources. In the call 26 countries are pooling resources of about 24.2 M€.

Research & innovation proposals were invited to respond to at least one of the themes outlined in the call.  The table below gives an overview of the themes addressed in the project proposals:

Theme	Proposals
Theme 1 – Measuring Environmental behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in aquatic ecosystems	77 (Total requested funding of 75.2 M€)
Theme 2 – Evaluating Risk Assessment and Management of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria from aquatic ecosystems (inland, coastal and marine) to human health and environment	41 (Total requested funding of 42.3 M€)
Theme 3 – Taking Actions Strategies to reduce contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in aquatic ecosystems (inland, coastal and marine)	66 (Total requested funding of 61.9 M€)

Pre-proposals passing the eligibility check and national regulations will be forwarded to the evaluators for a scientific assessment based on two criteria – ‘Excellence’ and ‘Impact’. The best pre-proposals will be invited by the Call Secretariat to proceed to the submission of the full proposal.

To read more about the Eligibility Criteria and evaluation procedures, please download the Aquatic Pollutants Call Announcement here.

JPIAMR invites the entire AMR Research Community to take part in a needs assessment survey to guide the development and implementation of the Digital Platform for the JPIAMR-Virtual Research Institute.

JPIAMR invites the entire AMR Research Community (researchers, trainees, institutions, networks, centres, funders) to take part in a needs assessment survey to guide the development and implementation of the Digital Platform for the JPIAMR-Virtual Research Institute (JPIAMR-VRI).

Aim and ambition of the survey
The aim is to ensure the JPIAMR-VRI Digital Platform meets the needs of the AMR research community and brings value to everyone who will use it. It will help to identify developmental priorities and will bring an opportunity to collect innovative ideas that could become part of the Digital Platform development.

Who should participate?
AMR researchers, members of research networks/projects, students/trainees, research Institute/Universities representatives, representatives of research funding organizations, AMR policy experts, healthcare providers in the field of AMR, AMR data or service provider/developer, private sector representatives interested in AMR Research.

Why should you participate?
By participating in this survey, you are contributing to the building of a JPIAMR-VRI Digital Platform supporting excellence in research on AMR on a global scale with a One Health approach.

The survey closed on May 31, 2020.

We want to thank everyone who participated!

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in disruptions to some JPIAMR projects and networks. Requests for extentions should be made to the respective national funding organisation.

JPIAMR recognises that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in disruptions to some JPIAMR projects and networks. Impacted researchers engaged in JPIAMR transnational consortia should submit requests for extensions of the projects or networks to their respective national funding organisation.

JPIAMR is committed to support the researchers and work to get through this challenging situation together.

While scientists are working to understand and control the Covid-19 pandemic, it is also crucial to prepare for the effect of the current, and future, viral pandemics on secondary bacterial infections and the resulting impact on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The Covid-19 pandemic reinforces the importance of preventative measures such as vaccination and antimicrobial treatments in maintaining human health. Similarly, controlling infectious agents is necessary to sustain the global economy and societal functionality. Bacterial co-infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality during viral infections and are already being reported as having a significant impact in the context of Covid-19.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the need to understand the complex connections between bacterial and viral infections. It is important to consider that patients in countries that have used high levels of antibiotics may also now face further complications during co-infection by antibiotic resistant bacteria. In the current situation appropriate and systematic testing of Covid-19 patients presenting with a bacterial co-infection should be conducted in order to choose the correct antibiotic to increase the survival of patients and limit the spread of AMR. The use of rapid diagnostics promoting the use of effective narrow-spectrum antibiotics should be used where possible.

AMR will likely increase through the heavy use of antibiotics in Covid-19 patient treatment. New and improved functional therapeutics, including antibiotics and antibiotic combinations, alternative treatments to antibiotic use, and the predictive prevention of bacterial respiratory infections using vaccines should be investigated in the context of Covid-19. International guidelines on the use of the correct antibiotics, or combination of antibiotics, in the correct situation, should also be made available.

In addition to the direct impact on AMR as a result of increased antibiotic use, the transmission of AMR beyond the medical system should be considered and assessed.  One simple example is release of increased levels of antimicrobials in waste water from hospital systems that will affect levels of antimicrobials in the environment, which will impact the level of resistance in both animals (both wildlife and feed animals) and in farming and natural systems.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an immense impact on public understanding of infection prevention and control. Throughout the world people are practicing improved hand-washing techniques and social distancing, and other intervention measures to prevent infection. Improved interventions in the healthcare systems have been implemented worldwide. The implications of these interventions will likely impact the levels of other infectious agents and AMR and should have positive impacts on global health. Momentum on the improved public knowledge regarding infection prevention and control should be maintained through education and advertising. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of vaccination, the need for functional antimicrobials, as well as the necessity for supporting research into the understanding and control of infectious agents.

In order to be better prepared for emerging public health challenges, it is imperative that we remember the fundamental importance of antibiotics for modern medicine including protecting patients during a pandemic. The members of JPIAMR are fully committed to continue the support excellent research and the development of innovative diagnostics and effective treatments of infectious diseases to counter future outbreaks and the growing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Considerations by JPIAMR

JPIAMR is pleased to welcome the new Steering Committee and new Chair Jan-Ingvar Jönsson elected at the JPIAMR Management Board meeting held online on the 17th of March.

JPIAMR is pleased to welcome the new Steering Committee, new Vice Chair Marie-Paule Kieny  and new Chair Jan-Ingvar Jönsson (picture) elected at the JPIAMR Management Board meeting held online on the 17th of March.

Jan-Ingvar Jönsson, Chair, Sweden
Jan-Ingvar Jönsson is Professor at Linköping University, Sweden, and since 2016 also Secretary General for Medicine and Health at the Swedish Research Council where he holds several commissions. In 2017 he was appointed to lead the newly established National research programme in antibiotic resistance in Sweden. He has been Vice Chair of JPIAMR since 2016 and Acting Chair since 2018.

–  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of JPIAMR to the trust to serve as chair for the coming two years. We are entering an exciting time with the development of the AMR One Health Partnership which needs lots of attention from the member states, but there are also other challenges such as what activities and operations we can manage during the transition phase into the partnership. I feel confident that we will succeed and that JPIAMR continues to be an important player in the field of AMR research, says Jan-Ingvar Jönsson.

Marie-Paule Kieny, Vice Chair, France
Marie-Paule Kieny is Director of Research at Inserm in Paris, in charge of the Priority Research Program on Antibiotic Resistance initiated by France in 2019 as part of the Investment Program for the Future (Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir).

–It is an honour to have been elected as vice-chair of JPIAMR. Our partnership has grown as a major player for research on AMR in Europe and the world.  I commit to assist our Chair, Dr Jan-Ingvar Jönson, in steering the Management Board through a future transition of JPIAMR to an AMR-One Health Partnership under Horizon Europe, says Marie-Paule Kieny.

JPIAMR Steering Committee 2020-2022

Richard Gordon, South Africa
Richard Gordon is the Executive Director of the Grants, Innovation and Product Development groups at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

Charu Kaushic, Canada
Charu Kaushic is the Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-Institute of Infection and Immunity, serving in this role since July 1, 2018. Dr. Kaushic is also a tenured Full Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine in McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Joachim Klein, Germany
Joachim Klein has worked for the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 2008 and currently serves as Deputy Head of Division “Global Health Research” where he is responsible for several BMBF funding programs.

Jonathan Pearce, UK
Jonathan Pearce joined the Medical Research Council in 2008 and is now Associate Director for Biological Medicine, and in his time at MRC has had responsibility for Infections and Immunity.

For full bios please see the JPIAMR Steering Committee webpage.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the deadlines for the call Network Plus 2020 and the two calls within AquaticPollutants will be postponed.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the deadlines for the open JPIAMR calls will be postponed:

Network Plus 2020: Call closes May 28th, 17.00 CET
Read more: utveckling.jpiamr.eu/10th-call/

AquaticPollutants: Call closes May 18th, 17.00 CET
Read more: utveckling.jpiamr.eu/11th-call/

Call on knowledge transfer of research on Aquatic Pollutants: Call closes May 18th, 17.00 CET
Read more: utveckling.jpiamr.eu/12th-call/