Inserm Research Director,
ITMO I3M Deputy Director,
Antibiotic Resistance Priority Research Programme Coordinator
At the time of writing in March 2020, the world is facing an escalating and unprecedented health crisis caused by the emergence of a novel virus: SARS-CoV-2. A period that coincides with the launch of our project to create the National Antibiotic Resistance portal. Although we have no treatments for this novel virus so far, we do have antibiotics to combat most bacteria. And yet, according to the World Health Organization, drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for 700,000 deaths each year. If nothing is done by the year 2050, we could be looking at an annual figure of 10 million. Whether we are talking about viruses or resistant bacteria, urgent action is needed with the war on antibiotic resistance being more relevant than ever.
Despite the constraints imposed by lockdown, the following have worked with me from their respective homes to make this project a reality:
- Guia Carrara and Erica Telford – my colleagues at ITMO I3M
- Myriem Belkacem from the Communication Department at Inserm, headed by Carine Delrieu
- Taher Benromdhane and Djamel Bahamid from the Information System Department at Inserm, headed by Sammy Sahnoune
In terms of outsourcing, we have been able to count on both the competence and depth of engagement of Emmanuel Auchet, Eric Blanc and Gloria Fernandes at the health communication agency ML Com, headed by Christian Ferreira.
In November 2020, we welcomed a new member to the team: Emilie Noguez (ITMO I3M).
What better way to fight bacteria and their resistance that knows no frontiers than to unite and mobilise expertise and strengths from a variety of horizons? This is the driving force of the National Antibiotic Resistance Portal, which has been designed and created to offer each actor the resources needed to win this war: an inventory of researchers and healthcare professionals, the visibility of scientific research and information derived from the academic and private sectors (pharmaceutical industries and startups), healthcare industry associations, and clinical trials.
The objectives set out by the National Roadmap for Controlling Antibiotic Resistance and by the Healthcare Industries and Technologies Strategic Committee (Comité stratégique de filière industries et technologies de santé – CSF) notably concern the mapping of French research forces and a portal to pool information on antibiotic resistance.
The National Antibiotic Resistance portal, a shared, intersectoral and interactive website taking a One Health approach, offers you:
- a national database of the principal antibiotic resistance actors in France: researchers, national reference centres (CNR), biotechs, manufacturers, institutions, infectious diseases clinical investigation centres (CIC),
- a ‘Scientific literature watch’ section listing French and international publications dedicated to antibiotic resistance,
- ‘The research themes at a glance’, a section giving access to an automated bibliometric analysis of Web of Science data covering French research teams,
- a ‘Practical info & communications’ page dedicated to events, conferences, webinars and calls for cross-disciplinary projects in relation to antibiotic resistance,
- a tab presenting the website’s governing bodies and partners,
- a comprehensive overview of the French National Priority Research Programme (Programme Prioritaire de Recherche, PPR) on Antibiotic Resistance.
and finally, a Job opportunities section which is coming soon. An English translation of the website is planned for 2021.
Having laid the foundations for this portal, we hope that many of you will join us in this initiative. Remember that this is your communication tool and it can only evolve and thrive thanks to your contributions and shared knowledge and know-how, to master this new discipline of antibiotic resistance that has invited itself into our modern world.
One last word just to say thank you to all those who have helped build this website during a period in which, despite the upheaval, we have acquired different ways of working whilst preserving the shared values of serenity, rigour, attentiveness to others and constant dialogue. A big thank-you also to the Inserm management team, Deputy Director General Claire Giry and Chief Executive Officer Gilles Bloch, as well as to ITMO I3M Director Yazdan Yazdanpanah, for having placed their trust in me.
Published on 14 December 2020