Dao Nguyen details how a $500,000 donation from Rio Tinto will provide much-needed funding to researchers at the Antimicrobial Resistance Centre.
(Time on Podcast: 9:58). Tarah Schwartz revisits conversations about transformative donations and fundraising campaigns that are improving the health of our community every day. One of the priorities of the MUHC FOundation is to raise funds for experts working on antimicrobial resistance. Imagine a world where antibiotics didn’t work anymore. Dao Nguyen is a director of the McGill Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Centre. Antibiotics were discovered in the 1930s and transformed how we dealt with infections, from simple wounds to respiratory infections. The discovery of antibiotics made procedures such as surgeries and chemotherapy safe. Since the 80s, our discovery of antibiotics have plummeted and now we are dealing with resistance to these known antibiotics. Nearly all of the antibiotics that we know are inspired by molecules that nature makes. During the first 50 years of antibiotic discovery, companies were looking for new compounds from nature. Since then, modern drug screening of synthetic molecules hasn’t led to new antibiotic discoveries that we were hoping for. Microbes eventually become resistant to these antibiotics though natural evolution. Use of antibiotics is not limited to the healthcare setting. The use of microbes in framing practices can further lead to antibiotic resistance. The outlook for antibiotic resistance is scary. If we do not tackle this global issue, we risk antibiotic resistant bacteria becoming the top killer once again.
Listen to the Podcast
Best of Health Matters: Transformative donations to the MUHC Foundation. The MUHC Foundation’s Health Matters. April 9, 2023.
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