Our research: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Through the AusGEM AMR program, we’re working to understand how microorganisms acquire genetic information, either by mutation, recombination, or horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which enable pathogens to survive and render the processes or agents designed to kill them partially or completely ineffective.

We’re developing genomic surveillance systems of AMR through a ‘One-Health’ approach, drawing on genomic technologies to monitor the mobilisation, persistence, and abundance of AMR genes and mutations within microbial populations.

Our work addresses a critical public and global health challenge, and supports the efforts of the scientific community, water and agricultural industries, and regulators in understanding and managing the threats posed to biosecurity and the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment.

AusGEM’s current and planned antimicrobial resistance (AMR) activities are led by Distinguished Professor Steven Djordjevic.

AusGEM collaborates with national and international organisations to further our AMR research, including CRC SAAFE: a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) focused on managing AMR in agriculture and the environment; the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF); the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR); and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), a marketing and research body for the Australian red meat industry.

To be updated in 2025