Project Background
Large-scale administration of the antibiotic azithromycin to children seems to be a promising way to significantly reduce under-5 mortality (death) rates in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs).
My project is part of a larger research project that hopes to establish if the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in these children could outweigh the benefit in reduced under-5 mortality rates. This project is part of a larger trial in Mali known as the LAKANA trial.
The standard ways to test for antimicrobial resistance is expensive, time-consuming, has high technology needs, and requires trained staff. This makes it unfeasible in LMICs.
My Role
I will be developing a simple, fast, and cheap way of testing for AMR in children given azithromycin from nasopharyngeal swab samples. I will be carrying out whole genome testing to identify the resistance genes in the bacteria of interest, optimising and validating my test, and comparing it to standard techniques! I'm thrilled that I get to help reduce healthcare disparity and can't wait to start my project.