A Leverhulme ECR Fellowship Project led by Dr Christopher Long
Amongst the most pressing concerns for governments and populations around the world is the emergence and spread of infectious diseases (EIDs) and the growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The development of new medicines is at the core of today’s global health security efforts to deal with these threats. Yet, an under-researched area within this field is the role that biotechnology is playing to facilitate these efforts. This project, led by Dr Christopher Long, will address this gap by investigating the key principles driving the use of biotechnology in global health security today. It is funded by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship at the Centre for Global Health Policy, University of Sussex.
Research Aims
The aim of this research is to understand the role that biotechnology is playing in global health security, specifically, in efforts to combat the threats of AMR and EIDs. It is focused on the role that biotechnology plays in the development of new medicines in this area rather than the politics surrounding it. It aims to:
1) Understand the way that biotechnology is being used to develop new antibiotics and vaccines to combat AMR and EIDs
2) Investigate and detail the key factors driving the use of biotechnology in efforts to combat AMR and EIDs
3) Theorise and conceptualise the analysis of biotechnology in this context and its applicability to others
4) Use the results of aims 1-3 to contribute to the field of global health security and the policy field of antibiotic and vaccine development
Case Studies
Two new international collaborations have recently been developed to produce new antibiotics and vaccines to combat the threats of AMR and EIDs. They have taken the form of the Innovative Medicines Initiative’s New Drugs for Bad Bugs (ND4BB) programme and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
CEPI and ND4BB are amongst the most significant international efforts to date to combat the threats of AMR and EIDs. Taking these collaborations as my point of investigation and analysis, this project will map out the latest developments in the field of biotechnology, determine how biotechnology is being used by CEPI and ND4BB and develop a systematic conceptual framework and analysis of the use of biotechnology in this area of global health security.