GCAP Catalysis Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance – July 23, 2024
The Global One Health Academy is proud to announce a new initiative, Grand Challenge Addressing Program (GCAP), to address wicked problems that demand an interdisciplinary approach. To kick off this effort, we are convening a meeting of NC State investigators on July 23, 2024, to target the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the human-animal-plant-environment interface.
Introducing Grand Challenges Addressing Program (GCAP)
The Global One Health Academy (GOHA) is launching a bold new initiative to address wicked problems that require an interdisciplinary approach. Our “Grand Challenge Addressing Program (GCAP)” will leverage existing NC State strengths, synergize our activities, and spring new collaborations across and beyond the university. GCAPs will allow us to utilize the full spectrum of expertise that NC State offers, which will help facilitate innovation, generate transformative solutions, secure extramural funding, and establish powerful partnerships to address a critical societal issue. Scientists are currently limited in navigating the vast landscape of heterogeneous and multifaceted data to arrive at new insights. This challenge is especially pronounced when data originate from multiple disciplines and sectors. By investing in GCAPs, we will cross traditional scientific boundaries to catalyze the advancement of knowledge and position NC as a true leader in addressing grand challenges.
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
GOHA will launch the GCAP to target the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the human- human-animal-plant-environment interface. By 2050, AMR pathogens will result in the death of 10 million people worldwide, higher than cancer (8.2 million). The problem is greatly exacerbated by the lack of new antimicrobials to treat these infections, gaps in data exchange, changing climate, need for rapid diagnostics, and working in silos. At NC State, we have the expertise and the know-how to target AMR at the local, national, and global levels. NC State is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center on One Health and AMR, the only educational institution in the US. GCAP-AMR will help us catalyze our tremendous strength in areas ranging from molecules to population-based approaches centered around multiple themes, including a) Drug Discovery & Validation, b) Integrated Data Analytics & Reporting, c) Machine Learning and Diagnostics, d) AMR surveillance and Reporting, and e) Climate Change & Transmission Nexus, to list a few.
Catalysis Meeting – July 23, 2024
To kickstart our GCAP, we are hosting our first catalysis meeting on July 23, 2024, where faculty working in the AMR space will meet and interact with other NC State investigators actively working in the area from multiple units and colleges across the university. In this facilitated meeting, we expect that conceptual and technological advances will be discussed that will enable us to foster interdisciplinary approaches, experiments, and bring together investigators crucial to implementing cutting-edge AMR infectious disease research in NC and beyond.
If you are an NC State faculty member from any disciplines with work relevant to AMR and are interested in attending the catalysis meeting, please reach out to Meredith Spence Beaulieu (spencebeaulieu@ncsu.edu) for more details.