£100m given to Oxford for research into tackling antibiotic resistance

• Watch a report by Rachel Hepworth

The University of Oxford has been awarded a grant of £100 million pounds to study our growing resistance to antibiotics.

The current pandemic has focused minds on the importance of medicine, and the disastrous consequences when the world is unprepared for a global biological crisis.

The donation has come from the chemicals giant Ineos. The money from the firm will be used to fund research into new types of life-saving drugs, following the rise in so-called ‘superbugs’ which do not respond to the current treatments that are available.

In the 1940s scientists at Oxford developed penicillin for practical use, following Alexander Fleming’s discovery of the medicine which changed the face of modern medicine

As time has gone on, infections have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. It is estimated that by 2050, there could be ten million deaths every year because common antibiotics no longer work.

The £100 million pound award will help scientists to study new ways of fighting infection. The money will fund the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

The award is one of the largest donations in history, and will fund 50 research scientists over the next five years.