The urgent need to tackle antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon that occurs when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. According to the WHO, multi-resistant infections are one of the world's major threats to public health.
By 2050, 10 million deaths will be directly attributed to antibiotic resistance each year if no action is taken. Simple surgical procedures could be called into question, even in healthy individuals, because of the microbiological risk.
Humus, a citizen's response to antibiotic resistance
A team of 4 researchers from the de Duve Institute is launching the Humus project. Under the guidance of Professor Jean-François Collet, Chloé Petre is in charge of setting up this citizen science project, largely inspired by the Australian project Soils for Science.
Soil microbial biodiversity is largely unexploited. Only a small percentage of this microbiological treasure trove is known to date. The aim of our 4 researchers is to collect 10,000 soil samples, thanks to the voluntary commitment of the general public, in order to search for the potential antibiotics of tomorrow.
They are also keen to make the Belgian public aware of the urgency of antibiotic resistance, but also of the hopes that scientific research holds.
How about helping us to identify tomorrow's antibiotics?
To get this project off the ground effectively, we need to raise €215,000 by 2025 and find corporate partners to provide funding, logistics and/or visibility.
Support the HUMUS project:
o For €150, you donate 50 soil sample collection kits
o For €1,250, you will finance 200 Petri dishes and consumables for cultivating soil microbes
o For €7,500, you will help promote the project to the public for 3 months.