Battling the Bugs
London’s Science Museum highlights superbugs and the stars that fight against them in a new exhibition
What?
“Superbugs: The Fight For Our Lives” is a free exhibition in London that highlights the danger that antibiotic resistance poses to human health, as well as the stories of those tackling the issue head-on. Some of the displays included in the exhibition are 12 real bacterial colonies (including nine classified by the World Health Organization as a significant threat to human health), penicillium mould recently grown from Fleming’s original samples, 14,000 pills that illustrate the two-year treatment needed to combat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and an interactive game where visitors can try to halt the worldwide spread of a superbug. It will also be possible to learn about Komodo dragon blood and watch as researchers from the University of Illinois dive into Icelandic fjords – both potential sources of new antibiotics. Experts will share thoughts on superbugs and how to prevent them from spreading.
Four prototypes made by teams across the globe vying for the £8-million Longitude Prize will also be on display for the first time. Submissions for the Longitude Prize launched in 2014 – the goal: to invent an affordable, accurate, rapid and easy to use test for bacterial infections that will allow health professionals to administer the right antibiotics at the right time.
Why?
According to the exhibition, superbugs today kill almost 700,000 each year – a figure that could rise to 10 million by 2050. Tackling the issue requires both public awareness and collaboration between industry, governments and health providers in the creation of new policies, educational programs and medical interventions.
Who?
The exhibition is sponsored by Pfizer and Shionogi, and supported by UK Research and Innovation and the University of East Anglia.
Where?
The Science Museum, London, UK.
When?
The exhibition will run until April 2019.
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