New Medicines to Kill Superbugs Fund
Experts predict that within ten years we will have run out of antibiotics.
Antibiotics aren’t just used to treat infectious diseases, but to prevent infections in patients having surgery and chemotherapy. The Director General of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan has called antibiotic resistance “...the end of modern medicine as we know it”. The world desperately needs new antibiotics, and the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab needs your help to find them.
Most antibiotics come from microbes living in the soil, beginning with the discovery of penicillin from the fungus Penicillium. New Zealand has a treasure trove of unique fungi that have never been searched for new antibiotics. We are working with scientists from Landcare Research to find new antibiotics by screening their collection for fungi that can kill antibiotic-resistant superbugs like MRSA and E. coli. It costs us about $250 to test each fungus, and we’ve over 9,000 fungi to test, so please support us and help us discover more of these life-saving medicines.
Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference. We’ll send all donors regular updates of our progress. Donors that contribute $250 or more will also be sent a certificate and picture of the fungi they have ‘adopted’.
About Dr. Siouxsie Wiles
Dr. Siouxsie Wiles is a microbiologist and bioluminescence enthusiast who heads up the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland. Here she combines her twin passions to understand and combat infectious diseases.
For more information, contact:
Ellie Gray, Manager, Strategic Donor Relations
- PH: + 64 9 923 2687
- EMAIL: firstname.lastname@example.org