Rio Tinto donates $500,000 to the MUHC Foundation to fight antimicrobial resistance

The gift will create the Antimicrobial Resistance Discovery Incubator, which will fund innovative new projects to prevent and treat drug resistant infections.

Montreal, November 21, 2022 ­— Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a looming health crisis that, according to the World Heath Organization, if left unchecked, could become a global scale threat to human life and prosperity. Thanks to a $500,000 gift from Rio Tinto to the McGill Antimicrobial Resistance Centre, made through the Rio Tinto Aluminium Canada Fund, new innovations in the fight against resistant bacteria will be developed in Montreal.

AMR occurs when bacteria and other microbes become resistant to antibiotics, disinfectants and other antimicrobial products. The consequences could be devastating: without reliable antibiotics, even the simplest of surgeries could pose risk of major infections. Similarly, hallmarks of modern medicine such as chemotherapy, transplantation and joint replacements — all of which require antibiotics — could come with much more risk in the not-so-distant future.

“No new antibiotics have been developed since the 1990s, and the discovery pipeline is dry. If we don’t act now, we could be living in a post-antibiotic world. At the AMR Centre, we will be able to explore innovative new ways to prevent and treat resistant infections.”

—Dr. Dao Nguyen, Director, Antimicrobial Resistance Centre

Not only have no new antibiotics been developed in over 20 years, but the ones we have are rapidly becoming ineffective as antibiotic resistant bacteria evolve. To help scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University find innovative ways to curb infection, Rio Tinto’s gift will create the Antimicrobial Resistance Discovery Incubator. This research accelerator will award seed funding to test promising ideas that could lead to new antibiotics or other ways to fight antimicrobial resistant super bugs.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue and, as a global company, Rio Tinto is pleased to support research that will have a positive impact on people’s health worldwide. We are fortunate to have some of the leading researchers in infection and immunity here in Montreal. We are confident that the new Antimicrobial Discovery Incubator will lead to lifesaving discoveries, and we are proud to play a part in finding innovative solutions.”

—Ivan Vella, Chief Executive, Aluminium, Rio Tinto

Most of the antibiotics we have today were found in nature—penicillin, for instance, is a type of mould. To encourage pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics, Rio Tinto’s gift will support researchers searching for the next penicillin, as well as new innovations that will help prevent or curb the rise in drug resistant bacteria.

“Antibiotics are the cornerstone of modern medicine. The advancements we have made in surgery, chemotherapy and more are under threat unless we find new ways to treat infections. We do that by investing in life-changing research by some of the smartest minds at the RI-MUHC and McGill.”

—Heather Munroe-Blum, Co-Chair, MUHC Foundation Dream Big. Solve Humanity’s Deadliest Puzzles campaign (MI4)

“Antibiotic resistance could dial medicine back a century. We cannot stand by and let this happen. The impact of Rio Tinto’s gift to the new Antimicrobial Resistance Discovery Incubator has the potential to reverberate around the globe.”

—Mark Smith, Co-Chair, MUHC Foundation Dream Big. Solve Humanity’s Deadliest Puzzles campaign (MI4)

The McGill Antimicrobial Resistance Centre is part of the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4), which brings together over 250 experts from a wide range of fields to tackle the global threat of infectious diseases. MI4 is leading research to stop diseases like tuberculosis, Hepatitis C, COVID-19 and more from taking lives.

“My fellow co-chairs, Marc Parent, Jean Charest and I wish to thank Rio Tinto for this extraordinary, forward-thinking gift. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the vast impact infectious diseases can have on our world. With the help of this gift, MI4 and the AMR Centre will safeguard us against a post-antibiotic world.”

–Suzanne Legge Orr, Co-Chair, MUHC Foundation Dream Big Campaign

The new Antimicrobial Resistance Discovery Incubator will give out its first seed funding awards next year.

“We are proud to partner with Rio Tinto to support innovation in antibiotic discovery. The new incubator will bring forward ideas that will revolutionize how we prevent and treat infections. The discovery of penicillin changed the world; I am confident that MI4 will change it again with the discoveries of the AMR Centre.”

—Julie Quenneville, President and CEO, MUHC Foundation

“MI4 would like to thank Rio Tinto for their generous gift and contribution to MI4’s future successes. With Rio Tinto’s donation supporting the leadership of the AMR Centre, we will be able to roll up our sleeves, and gather interdisciplinary teams to find solutions.”

—Dr. Marcel Behr, Director, McGill University Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4)