Dr. Henry Skinner thought he had a winning new antibiotic – perhaps even more than one – when he was CEO of a small biotech company called SelectX Pharmaceuticals. But like so many other companies working to develop new antimicrobial drugs, it went bust.
Skinner learned a fair bit from that experience. Many people working in antibiotics become “gun-shy,” he says, or simply get burned out. But he’s taken those hard lessons and is using them as CEO of the AMR Action Fund. AMR stands for antimicrobial resistance – the inevitable ability of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites to acquire resistance to antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic drugs. AMR Action Fund has one billion US dollars to invest in labs willing to take the gamble and develop new antibiotics.
The organization has also collaborated with the BBC on a documentary, “Race Against Resistance,” to tell the story of antimicrobial resistance and its effects on people.
Listen as Dr. Skinner chats with One World, One Health host Maggie Fox about lessons learned and the value of telling the story of antimicrobial resistance.