Programme Coordination Team (PCT)

Funded by UKRI and DBT, UK and Indian research councils have joined forces to address concerns related to antimicrobial production and the environment. 

Specifically, this partnership seeks to:

• Understand the extent of antimicrobial pollution from antimicrobial manufacturing waste (wastewater, solid waste and atmospheric emissions), its pathways through environmental systems, and its role in driving emergence and circulation of AMR in the environment.
• Develop and validate globally relevant standardised methods and tools for detection of active antimicrobials and resistant bacteria in effluents and receiving environments.
• Determine the impact on human and animal health from environmental exposure to high levels of antimicrobial pollution and resistant bacteria and genes.

The programme is comprised of five teams spanning 11 institutions in the UK and 17 partner institutions in India. Investigations are focused on industrial areas and pharmaceutical factories located in eight important manufacturing settings the effluent treatment plants designed to process their effluents, and the impact of pollution on the surrounding villages, water bodies and agricultural soil.

The projects are currently conducting extensive field work, laboratory analysis, experiments, risk modelling, face-to-face meetings and other engagement activities with antimicrobial producers, pollution control agencies, health protection agencies and other stakeholders in the areas studied.

For more information please visit the PCT website.