Physical Health Tanzania, United Republic of Project #43891

Tackling the Global Antibiotic Resistance Crisis

by Phages for Global Health

Summary

Phages for Global Health is teaching scientists in Africa and Asia how to develop cheap, natural antibiotic alternatives (phages) that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant infections are expected to kill 5 times more people each year than HIV did during the peak of that crisis. Sadly, almost 90% of those deaths will occur in the developing world. Phages have been used for >100 years in certain regions, but they have not been broadly utilized in developing countries.

$40,000
total goal

$29,956
remaining

38
donors

0
monthly donors

3
years

Challenge

The global antibiotic resistance crisis disproportionately impacts developing countries. Resistance has already developed in bacteria that cause pneumonia and diarrhea, the 2 leading causes of death in children under age 5. With few other treatment options available, researchers at numerous institutions in Africa and Asia aspire to develop phages as antibiotic alternatives -- as is being done elsewhere in the world -- but they do not yet have the expertise to do so.

Solution

Phages can be very beneficial in the developing world since they can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are easy to obtain from contaminated environments, inexpensive to manufacture, and safe. During 2020 we plan to run 2 separate two-week, hands-on laboratory training workshops -- one in East Africa and one in Southeast Asia. Through these we will teach a total of 50 scientists from those regions how to isolate and characterize phages locally.

Long-Term Impact

The first 50 scientists we trained in 2017 and 2018 have now taught phage biology to 700 others through their home institutions. And for each $1 we invested in training those scientists, they have now raised more than $10 for their ongoing phage product development. Thus, this work is quickly amplifying! Since phage products can be used to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food, water, livestock and people, these investments have the potential to save thousands of lives -- if not millions.