Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 2025

Build data analysis capabilities for disease modelling and drug discovery Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an important tool in the fight against infectious diseases and AMR due to advances in technology, computational power and the availability of big data. Recent developments include the use of machine learning to explore the global microbiome, leading to the identification of nearly a million potential antibiotics, many effective in preclinical models. CASE STUDY 8 ADVANCE-ID ACORN-HAI ADVANcing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases (ADVANCE-ID) is a network of more than 100 hospitals worldwide that collaborate to improve the evidence base for the optimal treatment of seriously ill patients with infections associated with AMR. Set up in 2022 with support from major academic centres in Singapore and Asia, the University of Oxford and Wellcome, ADVANCE-ID is currently housed in the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. ADVANCE-ID has grown rapidly over the past three years, with over 500 clinical investigators and numerous partners in the pharmaceutical industry and among global health agencies and funders. ADVANCE-ID’s flagship initiative, ACORN-HAI (Clinically- Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network for Healthcare Associated Infections), is a large-scale, multi-centre protocol that builds upon WHO’s GLASS. As the largest patient-based AMR surveillance study to date, ACORN-HAI aims to quantify the burden of disease from the perspective of individual patients, focusing on mortality and health economic outcomes. Over a three-year period, the study enrolled more than 10,000 patients across 41 hospitals in 19 countries in Asia. ACORN- HAI has identified Acinetobacter spp. and Enterobacterales as bacteria of critical priority in the region, with infections linked to mortality rates exceeding 40% and substantial economic impact. These highly resistant infections lack established standard-of-care treatments — a situation further compounded by limited access to newer antibiotics across much of Asia. ACORN-HAI represents a critical contribution to the global fight against AMR, providing urgently needed patient-level evidence to guide R&D in antibiotics and diagnostics, policy development and priority-setting at both national and international levels. Source: See endnote.144 However, there is a dearth of data analysis capabilities throughout Asia, whether in terms of trained talent or the robustness of research conducted. Globally, biotech talent is in short supply: research into talent trends by Randstad in 2022 found that “a third (33%) of C-suite and human capital leaders in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals sector say talent scarcity is a major pain point for the sector”.145 In Singapore, there is a lack of researchers proficient in AI and machine learning skills relevant to biotech production – an area which, if well-staffed, could help accelerate drug discovery and development.146 This talent shortage is expected to grow almost 30% by 2032.147 CASE STUDY 9 AMRSense educates community health workers in India AMRSense, a project of the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), is an innovative research initiative focused on combating AMR in India through a community-centred, data-driven approach. Team leader Tavpritesh Sethi describes the specific problem AMRSense is addressing as “the engagement, motivation and training of community health workers (CHWs) in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and management, compounded by the lack of a comprehensive data ecosystem and analytics capabilities.” Developed in collaboration with partners including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Centre for Health Research and Innovation (CHRI-PATH),148 AMRSense equips CHWs with AI-powered tools to improve AMR data collection and surveillance. The initiative integrates diverse data sources, including antibiotic consumption and sales, to build a unified ecosystem that supports evidence- based decision-making. Key components include predictive analytics for monitoring AMR trends and the AMRaura Scorecard, a tool for evaluating intervention effectiveness and guiding policy . The project also emphasizes raising public awareness and educating CHWs on responsible antibiotic use. By empowering communities and leveraging advanced analytics, AMRSense aims to fill critical gaps in AMR management at the local and national levels. Its comprehensive strategy supports sustainable AMR containment while contributing to global health security efforts. Source: See endnotes.149 Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 31