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Florian kern immunol_istock_web
Brighton & Sussex Medical School

PRESAR

PRESAR

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the greatest threats to global health estimated to become the leading cause of death (>10 million people) by 2050, with Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) bearing the highest rates due to weak health system, limited laboratory infrastructure and improper use of antibiotics.

ABR in LMICs is often investigated as a medical problem. Other dimensions contributing to the problem are often overlooked including population displacement and migration, agriculture and veterinary practice.

world map showing the countries involved in the presar project

Large number of colourful capsules

About the project 

This project aims to build a research network on ABR in the Nile Valley. ABR is a growing global concern, with an impact not only on the lives of patients, but also presents a massive economic burden on healthcare systems.

This network (PRESAR) brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds to address ABR from different perspectives. We will work to seek solutions to decrease the burden of infectious diseases, thereby having a positive impact on the welfare needs and subsequently economic development. The project is underpinned by promoting and maintaining a strong partnership between the UK and African academic communities, enhancing capacity to becoming world leaders in ABR research.

The overall aim is to build capacity, address multiple aspects of ABR transmission, and help create locally-relevant policies that will eventually reduce the disease burden. We aim to deliver impact regionally in Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt, and globally by encouraging engagement, communication and dissemination of findings to the global research community.

The PRESAR network is uniquely diverse, both with relation to the location of the researchers (Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, UK, Canada, Germany, and Spain), but also in expertise and background which includes: Basic science, immunology, microbiology, infectious diseases, medical anthropology, global health, policy, bioinformatics, genomics and molecular epidemiology, veterinary science, and international relations). This diversity in cross-disciplinarily is one of the strengths of PRESAR. 

Pills on a yellow table top

Our objectives

PRESAR aims to establish a sustainable one health platform to coordinate and strengthen the collaboration between the stakeholders.

The network will address the following gaps:

  1. The antibiotic use and prescription practice in both human and veterinary medicine
  2. The impact of population migration and displacement on the emerge and spread of ABR
  3. The impact of prevention of infection and control (IPC) and the strategies to enhance local compliance.
  4. The burden of ABR on health of communities
  5. The collaboration and communication between the medical, veterinary and social science departments. 

Furthermore, we are committed to strengthen ABR research across the region, via meetings, visits and training workshops. The network will facilitate knowledge exchange and discuss common obstacles and successes in ABR research, thereby fostering a constructive research environment across the Nile Valley region. We aim to strengthen South- South collaboration Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt, and globally by encouraging engagement, communication and dissemination of findings to the global research community.

This network has short- and long-term goals that will benefit researchers, institutions and countries. In the short-term, we aim to: 

  • Establish a new research network involving local, regional and international experts in medical, biomedicine & social science.
  • Strengthen the collaboration between partner institutes
  • Facilitate knowledge exchange and promote engagement of scientists across the Nile Valley region.

In the long term, the network will:

  • Secure significant funding to undertake a comprehensive research programme on ABR in the healthcare setting & the community.
  • Identify and implement strategies that aim to prevent the emerge of ABR and reduce the burden of ABR infections to benefit the community, patients and their families
  • Provide training and mentorship opportunities for young scientists in the region on ABR.
  • Strengthen community engagement and knowledge in ABR.
  • Identified research priorities and areas that the network aims to on collectively 
    • Network (Community) building exercise(s)
    • How can the countries learn from each other to fill the gaps?
  • The importance of publicity and promoting the network through a website and social media.
  • Research projects should have these criteria: 
    • locally relevant thematic research
    • one health approaches
    • combining the diversity of the network (disciplines and countries)
    • sustainability
    • capacity building of local researchers.

Meet the team

Prof Maowia Mukhtar

PI of the project, background in immunology and parasitology, Sudan. Read more here >  

Email: mmukhtar@tropmedicine.org 

Leena Al Hassan

Co-PI, background in molecular microbiology, AMR in LMICs, and bio-social approaches to AMR, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK. Read more here > 

Email: l.al-hassan@bsms.ac.uk

Louis Patrick Haraoui

MD in Microbiology, interest medical anthropology, AMR in high conflict zones and non-antibiotics drivers of AMR, University of Sherbrooke, Canada. Read more here > 

Email: Louis.Patrick.Haraoui@USherbrooke.ca

Einas Awad

Research interest in molecular epidemiology of Gram negative bacteria, local coordinator of network in Sudan. Read more here >

Email: umghadi224@gmail.com

Anne Roemer-Mahler 

Background in international relations and policy, University of Sussex, UK. Read more here >  

Email: A.Roemer-Mahler@sussex.ac.uk

Papreen Nahar

Senior Research Fellow (Medical Anthropology and Global Health) Tackling AMR Social Lives of Medicines, Bangladesh, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK. Read more here >

Email: P.Nahar@bsms.ac.uk 

Sarra Rashid

Pharmacist, AMR focal person for the Ministry of Health in Sudan.

Email: sarraizzeldin3@gmail.com 

James Price

Consultant in Infection Prevention and Control & Antimicrobial Stewardship, Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustHonorary Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London, UKResearch interests including utilising new technologies to inform on healthcare-associated infections and AMR. Read more here >

Email: j.price@bsms.ac.uk 

Yimtubezinash Woldeamanuel

Consultant Medical Microbiologist, lead of the incubation hub of CDT Africa, Ethiopia.

Email: yimtuwa@gmail.com

Amira Farouk

Consultant Clinical Microbiologist and deputy director of Microbiology laboratory, oncology center, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. AMR, public policy  and their link with social science in Egypt. Read more here >

Email: amirafarouk77@gmail.com

Prof Hadir El-Mahallawy

Consultant Clinical Pathologist, National Cancer Institute, Egypt.  

Email: hadir38@hotmail.com 

Alemseged Abdissa

Deputy Director of Armauer Hansen Research Institute and Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology at Jimma University, Ethiopia, Area of Interest: AMR Research and Antimicrobial Stewardship In Resource Limited Settings.

Email: alemseged.abdissa@ahri.gov.et

Paul Higgins

Senior Researcher with interest in molecular epidemiology and genomics of ESKAPE organisms, University of Cologne Germany. Read more here >

Email: paul.Higgins@uni-koeln.de

Kassu Desta

Researcher at University of Addis Ababa, interested in hospital acquired infections, Ethiopia.

Email: kassudesta2020@gmail.com

Adane Mihret

Lead Researcher and Associate Prof of Microbiology and Immunology, AMR and Biomarker of infectious diseases, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia. Read more here >

Email: adane.mihret@ahri.gov.et

Makeda Semret

McGill University, Canada. Area of interest: focuses on hospital-associated infections (HAI) in Africa and in Canada, with an emphasis on specific infection control measures that will improve quality of care and patient safety. Read more here > 

Email: makeda.semret@mcgill.ca

Getachew Tesfaye

Medical Microbiologist, Bacterial and Viral Diseases Research Directorate Armauer Hansen Research Institute Ethiopia. 

Email: getachew.tesfaye@ahri.gov.et

Ignasi Roca

Assistant Research Professor, Molecular biologist focused on bacterial typing and the genetic spread of resistance, Barcelona Institute for Global Health/Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain. Read more here >

Email: ignasi.roca@isglobal.org 

Antione Abou Fayad

PhD in microbiology and natural products chemistry. Interested in AMR in LMICS with a main focus on conflict and AMR. Read more here >

Email: aa328@aub.edu.lb

Sara Abdelmahmoud Omar

Medical research methodologist and biostatistician, Sudan.

Email: araaljaw90@gmail.com