Amazon Web Services (AWS) said on Thursday it will support the building of a global intelligence platform to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) under the Fleming Initiative led jointly by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

AWS will provide cloud and AI technology and technical support worth up to several million pounds. With the support, the Fleming Initiative will be able to strengthen global capacity to respond to AMR by linking data, researchers, clinicians and public health officials around the world, AWS said.

AMR is a phenomenon in which microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites mutate so that treatments no longer work. It is seen as one of the biggest challenges facing global public health, and annual deaths related to AMR are forecast to total about 39 million from 2025 to 2050. But response efforts remain slow due to fragmented surveillance systems, research conducted individually and limited access to integrated real-world data across healthcare, laboratories and communities.

The Fleming Initiative is building a cloud-based platform based on AWS's latest generative AI and cloud services to integrate AMR datasets scattered around the world, including compound libraries and surveillance signals. It plans to draw insights that were previously difficult to obtain and to accelerate AMR research and new discoveries worldwide.

Alison Holmes (앨리슨 홈스), director of the Fleming Initiative, said, "Antimicrobial resistance is a global challenge that cannot be solved by any single institution, country or dataset." She said AWS's support could open a new opportunity to bring together expertise, data and technology in ways that were previously impossible. "By supporting a more closely connected and accessible data ecosystem, researchers and public health leaders will be able to collaborate effectively, respond quickly, and generate new insights at the speed and scale the AMR crisis demands," she said.