Professor Peter Piot, Director, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine & Longitude Prize Advisory Panel Co-Chair, comments on today's UN declaration on antimicrobial resistance:

 

"The Longitude Prize welcomes this landmark declaration on antimicrobial resistance. It is an indication of the gravity with which governments across the world are treating the threat of drug-resistant infections. We wholeheartedly endorse the UN's commitment to improve rapid diagnostics - the subject of the Longitude Prize - and support the tireless campaigning of Dame Sally Davies in bringing this issue to global attention. The high level meetings which are taking place at the General Assembly will help to galvanise action to tackle the threat of AMR.”

 

The Longitude Prize is focused on the development of a rapid, cost-effective and easy-to-use diagnostic tool which will help to prevent the over-prescription of antibiotics - one of the leading causes of antimicrobial resistance. It is open to entrants worldwide until September 2019 - more information on how to enter the Prize can be found at longitudeprize.org/

 

ENDS

 

 

Notes to editors:

 

For further information please contact [email protected] / +44 (0)20 7438 2514

 

Video: What is the Longitude Prize?

 

About The Longitude Prize: The Longitude Prize is a £10m fund which aims to conserve antibiotics for future generations and revolutionise global healthcare.  It will reward a competitor that can develop a transformative, point-of-care diagnostic test that will significantly reduce the overuse or misuse of antibiotics.

 

The Longitude Prize being delivered by Nesta was announced by the Prime Minister at G8 in 2013, and, through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is being supported by Innovate UK as funding partner.  

 

The Prize commemorates the 300th anniversary of the Longitude Act (1714) when the British government threw down the gauntlet to solve one of the great scientific challenges of that century: how to pinpoint a ship’s location at sea by its longitude. www.longitudeprize.org