Dr. Kevin P. Francis Ph.D, PerkinElmer Fellow and Visiting Professor at UCLA and Texas A&M / Dr. Guillaume Reveillon, PhD Field Application Specialist PerkinElmer

According to the World Health Organization, infectious diseases are estimated to cause a quarter of all deaths globally. Moreover, the risk of new pathogens emerging and evolving to monopolize on the ever-expanding global human population is increasing year-on-year. The recent COVID-19 viral pandemic, although devastating from both a social and economic standpoint, was relatively minor compared to prior viral and bacterial ‘plagues’ that have reshaped civilizations throughout history.

Each year more than 70 billion standard units of antibiotic are prescribed to treat bacterial infections worldwide. In addition, around 80,000 tons of antibiotics are consumed by livestock for growth promotion and disease prevention. The result of this overuse of antibiotics is a spiraling increase in resistance. Bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have increased in prevalence in hospitals over the last three decades. Such bacteria are particularly problematic in postoperative infections, exacerbating treatment through the development of biofilms, especially on medical implants which are extremely hard to treat without removal and replacement of the device.

This presentation will show how noninvasive preclinical optical imaging is being used to better understand the establishment and development of infections in a range of different animal disease models, including post-operative infections

Host: Dr. Anna Santamaria, Biomedical Research in Urology group.

Online Connection: https://gencat.zoom.us/j/94191432677