Antibiotic Research UK

Who we are

Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) is the world’s first charity dedicated to research, education and patient support related to antibiotic resistance. 

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is on the rise globally, threatening modern medicine as we know it. Resistance to antibiotics arises when natural bacteria in our body are no longer affected by the antibiotics we use. The resulting antibiotic-resistant infection can be fatal. Nearly every medical procedure, from cancer treatment and organ transplantation to hip or joint replacement, is dependent on effective antibiotics (see Table).

This impending disaster is why our charity needs to be successful. If we don’t act now, the antibiotic era will pass, and our children and grandchildren will fail to have the benefits of antibiotics that current generations have enjoyed. 

ANTRUK aims to raise sufficient funds over the next five years to bring at least one new antibiotic treatment to market by the early 2020’s. The research we fund will be carried out by universities and businesses in the UK and overseen by the antibiotic-resistance experts that make up our Science Committee.

We also aim to provide public and professional education and information for patients. ANTRUK is seeking to raise a further £5 million by 2021. Since the charity’s formation it has raised over £1 million, with year-on-year growth of at least 30%.