Antimicrobial resistance: through the lens of research and innovation

By  Branwen Morgan 21 May 2025 4 min read

The impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not a future threat: it is a present and escalating crisis that demands urgent, unified action. The new AMR Lens Report, Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Innovation in Australia, provides a timely and data-driven perspective on how research, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration are shaping our response to one of the greatest threats to global health.

AMR: an urgent global challenge

Over time, the effectiveness of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs has steadily declined, as disease-causing microorganisms adapt and become resistant. As a result, once-routine procedures and surgeries may soon become too dangerous to perform, and deaths from currently treatable infections will rise.

AMR is among the World Health Organization’s top ten global public health threats, responsible for an estimated 1.27 million deaths and implicated in 4.71 million deaths each year.

Without decisive action, forecasts indicate AMR deaths will rise by nearly 70 per cent by 2050, with more than 39 million lives lost in the next 25 years.

The consequences extend far beyond healthcare. AMR threatens food security, animal health, and economic stability. The World Bank estimates that, without intervention, AMR could slash global GDP by up to 5 per cent by 2050, push millions into extreme poverty, and drive healthcare costs past $1 trillion annually.

In Australia alone, AMR infections result in thousands of deaths each year, with even more people suffering from persistent drug-resistant infections that require multiple treatments and impact quality of life.

While AMR is a naturally occurring phenomenon, the inappropriate use (overuse, underuse, and misuse) of antimicrobial medicines in humans, animals, and plants play a major role in accelerating it.

A One Health approach

Resistant microbes and their genes don't stay in one place; they move seamlessly between humans, animals, plants, and the environment.

This cross-sectoral movement makes AMR complex to address. The problem is accelerated by the use of antimicrobials across sectors and further compounded by environmental contamination from wastewater and agricultural runoff, which helps spread resistance.

A One Health approach is based on the understanding that the health of people, animals, and ecosystems are interlinked and codependent. It takes a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and transdisciplinary approach, working at local, regional, national, and global levels, while ensuring that solving a problem in one sector does not inadvertently cause a problem for another.   

The AMR Lens Report

Oversight of the AMR research ecosystem has been a significant challenge. This difficulty stems from the ecosystem's inherent complexity, fragmentation across various disciplines, institutions, funding bodies, and geographical locations, as well as the sheer diversity of research activities. The AMR Lens Report, a collaboration between CSIRO and The Lens, offers an unprecedented look at AMR research and development ecosystem.

It reveals that Australian research output in AMR has surged — from just 52 publications in 1980 to a high of over 2100 in 2022. It also highlights that a remarkable 10 per cent of Australia’s AMR scholarly works are cited in product patents, a testament to the impact and innovation emerging from this nation.

The AMR Lens Report not only reveals who is conducting research and where, it also highlights the most impactful discoveries based on patents, clinical trials, and the collaborations behind the success stories.

It also identifies the research areas where gaps remain. While medicine, biology, and microbiology dominate, research into the environmental dimensions of AMR such as ecology and botany lag behind, underscoring the urgent need for more investment and focus in this area.

Another key insight is the heavy concentration of patents in the ‘antibacterial agents’ area, which far exceed any other single type of AMR-related patent. This highlights the need for more emphasis on other types of AMR innovations, as well as consideration of other infectious microbes (fungi, parasites, and viruses).

Key strategies for minimising the impact of AMR

The AMR Lens Report reflects that while new treatments for bacterial infections are crucial, a range of solutions are required, and a multi-pronged strategy is needed:

• Antibiotic stewardship: Optimising the use of antimicrobials in humans and animals. Prescribing only when necessary and ensuring full treatment courses can slow the emergence of resistance.
• Infection prevention and control: High standards of hygiene, infection control, and vaccination in human and animal sectors to reduce the need for antimicrobials and limit the spread of resistant organisms.
• Research and innovation: Investment in new diagnostics, vaccines, and alternative therapies is essential.
• Surveillance and reporting: Monitoring resistance patterns and ‘intelligent’ software to guide clinical practice and policy, enabling early detection and mitigation of emerging threats.
• Environmental management: Upgrading wastewater treatment and addressing agricultural runoff are critical to breaking the environmental impact of resistance.
• Education and awareness: Public campaigns and professional training reduce misuse and foster a culture of stewardship.
• Investment: Educating investors and policymakers about the economic risks of AMR can drive funding towards sustainable, innovative solutions.

The future needs collaboration

The AMR Lens Report is more than a snapshot. It reflects the current state of research and will evolve alongside the research and innovation landscape.

AMR is a complex, growing threat that will not be solved by any one discipline or intervention. A One Health approach, underpinned by robust research and data, is crucial to reducing duplication of effort, maximising outcomes from R&D funding, and ensuring the continued effectiveness of antimicrobial medicines.