The Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group (AMR IRG) is a unique translational research and entrepreneurship program aimed at solving the growing threat of resistance to antimicrobial drugs. In synch with the National Strategic Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance, the AMR IRG was launched in January 2018 as a research program funded by the National Research Foundation, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.

The rationale for the AMR IRG lies in the sobering recognition that existing drug-resistant pathogens as well as emerging pathogens with the potential to become drug-resistant represent a threat to Singapore’s public health and national security. A significant 35-50% of bacterial infections in Singapore hospitals are now resistant to front-line antibiotics. Globally, the continued growth of antimicrobial resistance is predicted to cause more deaths than cancer and cost the world up to S$130 trillion by 2050. There is also a real economic impact of the microbial biofilms that foul medical devices, ship hulls, and water pipes, which have the same microbiology underlying antibiotic resistance. AMR seeks to play a dominant role in satisfying these unmet needs. 

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The Goal of AMR

AMR IRG aims to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by actively pursuing various innovative and groundbreaking strategies to detect, address, and manage infections caused by drug-resistant microorganisms. By fostering robust scientific and clinical partnerships, our objective is to deliver revolutionary, comprehensive solutions that benefit Singapore and the global community.

AMR leverages the scientific and clinical strengths of MIT and Singapore to develop transformative technologies to identify, respond to, and treat drug-resistant microbes. AMR projects address the threat of drug-resistant microbes by developing diagnostics and drugs based on synthetic biology; defining new resistance mechanisms in biofilms and dormant infections; developing anti-resistance drugs and drug delivery strategies; and exploiting host immunity to combat resistant microbes. We will also accelerate the pace of drug development by streamlining clinical trials and regulatory practice.