Jee In Kim explores how the genomes of superbugs can predict how bacteria will behave against specific antibiotics.
“We need to enhance our understanding of how bacteria respond to antibiotics’ stress to prevent further resistance development.”
We are finally here – the last blog of the year. As we are going through another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, I don’t want to share another devastating fact about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Instead, I want to highlight a few of the exciting and positive findings (in my eyes) that happened in the scientific […]
We have strong evidence showing that intensive animal farming is one of the major contributors to antimicrobial resistance dissemination. Therefore, the demand for raised without antibiotics (RWA) meats and produce is increasing. We are witnessing more RWA products on our grocery shelves every day, but how feasible is the RWA production of food long-term? The […]
Artificial intelligence (AI) involves the learning and acquisition of intelligence by machines without humans’ continuous and explicit instructions. The discipline is expanding rapidly, and various AI technologies are starting to get incorporated into biological research. For my own research, I employ machine learning to predict a pathogen’s resistance to a specific antibiotic. Machine learning (ML) […]
The development of vaccines was one of the major milestones of modern medicine. Without it, deadly infectious diseases like smallpox and polio could still be threatening our lives. Vaccines help us manage and live with new infectious agents that are continuously evolving. The arms race is inevitable and will continue between humans and infectious agents; […]
A hospital is one of the most significant reservoirs for antimicrobial-resistant organisms and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributing genes. This is due to the intensity of antibiotic use for treatment and prophylaxis (i.e. prevention) and the vulnerability of patients in hospital settings. There are different types of antimicrobial prophylaxis, including the use of antimicrobials to prevent […]
In my last blog, I wrote about the unequal burden of the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis that stems from the inappropriately managed outsourced production of antibiotics. Today I will shift focus to the next contributor of AMR, the antibiotic prescription practice in primary health care settings. Although the contribution by the primary health care […]
I am privileged to be able to conduct the research I am doing, i.e. using bacterial genomes to look more closely at antimicrobial resistance (AMR), since the extent of this type of work is limited to high-income countries such as Canada. My research involves bacterial whole-genome sequence data extracted using high-throughput sequencing technologies or next-generation […]
Sharing is caring – a phrase we all have heard and used since we were little. For humans, sharing is a, hopefully, conscious decision to help others. What if I told you that said behaviour is also exhibited in a community of bacteria? (But maybe without the consciousness). Some genes can be shared across bacteria, […]
We live in a world where common infections no longer induce anxiety for the general population. Suppose you begin to show symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI), such as feeling a burning sensation when you urinate. In that case, you can visit a clinic and be prescribed antibiotics. With the help of antibiotics, your […]
