Kickoff meeting for the GUARDIAN research project in Giessen marks the launch of interdisciplinary collaboration against antibiotic resistance
At the DZIF partner site in Giessen, a ceremonial kickoff meeting marked the launch of the GUARDIAN research project, which is funded with 3.5 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). For three years, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Keywan Sohrabi, scientists from human medicine, veterinary medicine, medical informatics, microbiology, bioinformatics, epidemiology, environmental sciences, and public health will work together to better understand the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and to preventively contain it.
Across Europe and in Germany, multidrug-resistant bacteria—particularly those from the Enterobacteriaceae family—are becoming increasingly significant. They pose a growing threat to public health because they cause disease outbreaks and are difficult to treat due to their resistance to common antibiotics. The goal of the GUARDIAN project—“Genome-based identification, analysis, and prediction of antimicrobial resistance in One Health networks using artificial intelligence”—is to use state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods to detect and trace outbreaks of these pathogens early on in the future and to develop prevention strategies.
During the kick-off meeting, the participating partners came together for an intensive exchange. Among those present were researchers from the DZIF research area “Healthcare-associated Infections” at the Institute of Medical Microbiology at Justus Liebig University (JLU) (PD Dr. Torsten Hain and PD Dr. Can Imirzalioglu) and the Institute of Medical Microbiology at Marburg University (Prof. Dr. Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding). Also participating in the joint project are the Institute for Medical Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Systems Biology and the Institute for Hygiene and Infectious Diseases in Animals at JLU, as well as the Hessian State Laboratory, the Hessian State Office for Health and Care, the University Medical Center Greifswald, and the Technical University of Central Hesse. Together, the participants laid the groundwork for further collaboration, agreed on work plans, and defined the next milestones.
As part of the project, extensive data from human medicine, veterinary medicine, food safety, and the environment will be systematically compiled and analyzed for the first time in the coming years. The focus is on multidrug-resistant bacterial species such as Citrobacter, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter. Artificial intelligence is intended to help predict the potential transmission routes of these pathogens. Particular attention is being paid to the exchange of resistance genes via so-called plasmids—small, ring-shaped DNA structures that facilitate rapid transfer to other bacteria.
With its networked One Health approach, GUARDIAN bridges the gap between different disciplines, thereby contributing to the development of effective measures for the prevention and control of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the healthcare sector and beyond. Prof. Dr. Keywan Sohrabi emphasizes: “Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Only by pooling the knowledge and expertise of different disciplines can we find sustainable solutions.”
Further Information (German only)
https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns/pressestelle/pm/pm06-26mitkigegenresistentebakterien
