NEWS
Microbiology Society concerned over AMR funding
The Microbiology Society has expressed concern over the UK Government’s decision to cut funding to the Fleming Fund, a flagship global health programme working to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Fleming Fund is the world’s largest aid-funded initiative focused on AMR surveillance and capacity building. These cuts threaten to undermine vital progress in one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths. The Microbiology Society is urging the UK Government to reaffirm its leadership in global health by reinstating and committing to long-term, sustainable funding for AMR surveillance. Addressing AMR requires decades-long investments, not short-term fixes. Halting programmes midstream not only wastes existing investment but also weakens international prevention and preparedness efforts to tackle this global crisis. The recent publication of the Life Science Sector Strategy underscores the Government’s ambition to position the UK as a global life sciences superpower. However, cutting support to critical programmes like the Fleming Fund is at odds with this vision. Sustained international collaboration and investment in global health security, including AMR surveillance, are crucial to deliver on the commitments outlined in the strategy. Dr Catrin Moore, Reader in Global Health and Infectious Diseases at City St George’s, University of London, co-Chair of the Microbiology Society’s Knocking Out AMR project, and co-Chair of the Society’s Impact and Influence Committee, said: “The UK has always been exceptional in supporting Global Health research and capacity building, truly building equitable collaborations. The Fleming Fund is world-leading and a showcase for all the best that UK and LMIC researchers do collaboratively to combat AMR. It’s devastating that the rug is being pulled from under our feet just as we are starting to see the fruits of our work and partnerships are just beginning.”
10
Novel nanobody effective against henipaviruses
Researchers have discovered a strategy to neutralise two highly lethal henipaviruses for which there is currently no approved vaccine or cure.
An Austrailian team led by Professor
Daniel Watterson and Dr Ariel Isaacs at The University of Queensland (UQ) has identified the first ever nanobody to work against Nipah and Hendra, henipaviruses which have jumped from animals to people in Asia and Australia. Their research has been published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. “A nanobody is one-tenth the size of an antibody and being that small it can access hard-to-reach areas of a virus to block infection,” Dr Isaacs said. “Nanobodies are also easier to produce and more stable at higher temperatures than traditional antibodies, so we are very excited about the potential of our discovery to lead to new treatments.” Dr Ariel Isaacs is pictured with a model of DS90 nanobody in yellow bonded into a Nipah virus fusion protein. The nanobody, called DS90, was among a series isolated by research partners at Universidad Austral de Chile from the immune cells of an alpaca called Pedro. Camelids, including alpacas, are the only
land animals which produce nanobodies. DS90 was identified via a platform developed by Professor Alejandro Rojas- Fernandez which can isolate nanobodies against viruses of concern. Tests at Professor Watterson’s laboratory
at UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences confirmed DS90 could bind successfully to proteins in Nipah and Hendra viruses and block their ability to enter cells. The team also combined the DS90 nanobody with a developmental antibody therapy that is used as a last resort treatment for people infected with Hendra and Nipah, showing that the combination of DS90 with the m102.4 antibody prevents Nipah virus from mutating and evolving.
10 Year Plan’s ‘Innovator passports’ to ease new tech adoption in NHS
A new ‘innovator passport’ – to be introduced over the next two years – will allow new technology that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation to be easily rolled out to others. The move is a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change and its 10 Year Health Plan, which will transfer power to patients and transform how healthcare is delivered, creating an NHS fit for the future. The measure aims to end slow timelines
and reams of processes for new technology, enabling suppliers and organisations to join up with the NHS quicker. A ‘one-stop shop’ thorough check from the NHS will now allow businesses to get to work as quickly as possible and deliver on what matters most to patients across the country. It means NHS patients will get more effective treatments and support quicker, while businesses are given a boost through the Government’s industrial strategy.
The new passport will eliminate multiple
compliance assessments, reducing duplication across the health service. It will be delivered through MedTech Compass, a digital platform developed by the Department of Health and Social Care to make effective technologies more visible and widely available. MedTech Compass will make these innovations and the evidence underpinning them clear to buyers within the NHS. The initiative builds on the government’s drive to slash waiting lists and ensure people have access to health and care when and where they need it under the Plan for Change.
The passports mean that once a
healthcare tool has been assessed by one NHS organisation, further NHS organisations will not be able to insist on repeated assessments, reducing the need for local NHS systems to spend their limited resources on bureaucratic processes that have already been completed elsewhere.
AUGUST 2025
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