The National University of Singapore has awarded the “Research Excellence Award 2025” to the Dow Institute of Biological Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (IBBPS) for its research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) focused on reducing mortality rates.

The recognition follows the completion of a global surveillance study titled “A Clinically-Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network for Healthcare-associated Infections (ACORN-HAI)”, led by Dow-IBBPS in collaboration with NUS. The study focused on bloodstream infections (BSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) linked to hospital-acquired infections.

The initiative involved 41 active clinical trial sites worldwide and centered on identifying patterns of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. The findings are expected to serve as groundwork for future interventional clinical trials targeting AMR.

Despite challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including limited resources and trained personnel, the institute achieved key milestones through consistent efforts. The study aims to support future strategies that could lower AMR-related mortality, which current research estimates at approximately 25 percent.