Photo caption: the research project signing ceremony, photo credit: Elizabeth Connolly
  • Jameel Research, part of Abdul Latif Jameel International network, targets breakthrough thinking and emergent technologies under development specifically in the world’s leading schools and universities that hold significant future commercial potential.
  • The sponsored research project led by Professor James J. Collins at MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering and Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, is aimed at tackling the growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs which, with a declining antibiotic pipeline, has led to a public health crisis.
    • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): predicts 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths each year in US alone, costing US$ 55bn.
    • UK AMR Commission: is projecting >10 million deaths worldwide per year by 2050, if the AMR crisis is not addressed.
    • The World Bank: predicts up to US$ 100 trillion of economic output may be at risk by 2050.

Jameel Research, part of Abdul Latif Jameel International network, is sponsoring a research project in the Department of Biological Engineering and Institute for Medical Engineering & Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), aimed at tackling the global public health crisis of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR).

This ambitious, multi-disciplinary project is led by Professor James J. Collins, Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and Faculty Lead for Life Sciences at the MIT Jameel Clinic, the epicenter of artificial intelligence (AI) and health at MIT.

The project, spanning at least three years, will leverage the Collins’ lab’s cutting-edge strengths in synthetic biology and AI to create next-generation diagnostics.

A new age of AMR diagnostics

The growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and a declining antibiotic pipeline has led to a global public health crisis.  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has predicted some 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths occur each year in US alone, costing US$ 55bn and the World Bank: predicts that up to US$ 100 trillion of economic output may be at risk by 2050.  The UK government-commissioned Review on Antimicrobial Resistance is projecting over 10 million deaths worldwide per year by 2050 if the crisis is not addressed.

Professor Collins and his team at MIT are setting out to develop the next generation of antibacterials and rapid diagnostics to overcome AMR: using synthetic biology and advanced generative AI to deliver faster results and help control the use of antibiotics to where they can be effective.

With support from Jameel Research, the first phase of this project aims to develop and validate programmable antibacterials to overcome AMR in a range of bacterial pathogens. These AI-designed minibinders would be delivered by engineered microbes to neutralize key toxins and protein targets.

This directed design and engineering approach to antibiotic development technology advances a long-term vision to create programmable antibacterials to address the AMR crisis.  This would then offer the potential for the more rapid development of medical countermeasures to emerging and re-emerging pathogens and a swifter response to future outbreaks and pandemics.

Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, KBE, Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, said:

“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent challenges we face today and addressing it will require ambitious science and sustained collaboration. We are pleased to support this new research, building on our longstanding relationship with MIT and our commitment to advancing research across the world, to strengthen global health and contribute to a more resilient future.

“This project reflects my belief that tackling AMR requires both bold scientific ideas and a pathway to real-world impact,” Professor Collins said. “Jameel Research is keen to address this crisis by supporting innovative, translatable research at MIT.”

Jameel Research is advancing the work of pioneering pathfinders to create an extraordinary impact on a global scale.

This initial project holds the promise of rapidly developing medical countermeasures for emerging and re-emerging pathogens, offering a rapid response to future outbreaks and pandemics.

This new research project builds on the close and longstanding relationship between MIT and the Jameel family.   This includes the MIT Jameel Clinic, which was co-founded in 2018 by MIT and Community Jameel, the international non-profit organization founded by Mohammed Jameel, KBE, to advance science and learning for communities to thrive, and one of the Jameel family’s philanthropies.

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