Exploring the Landscape of Antibiotic Resistance in Microbiomes

Find out why and how to perform large scale studies on antibiotic resistance

In the fight against antibiotic resistance, microbial communities and the resistomes they carry are increasingly important data sources. This field is rapidly advancing, but the big data generated is creating a gap between health sciences and bioinformatics.

On this three-week course from the University of Oslo, you’ll begin to close this gap. With the help of a team of experts, you’ll explore why and how to study resistomes, including hands-on resistome analysis.

Discover how antibiotic resistance has become one of the most urgent health threats

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics has accelerated the development and spread of antibiotic resistance, making antibiotics ineffective.

You’ll start by looking at how studies are contributing to the current understanding of drug resistance. Through this examination, you’ll discover the relation between antibiotic use, its lack of target specificity, the void in discovery of new antibiotics, and the current drug resistance crisis.

Examine how the study of antibiotic resistance genes helps us understand antimicrobial resistance

Microbes develop antibiotic resistance by using instructions from their genes, and there can often be a variety within a microbial community.

This course will guide you through the study of resistomes, exploring the different resistance mechanisms, how drug resistance genes are exchanged among bacteria, how studies are designed, how to handle samples, and how to analyse the data.

Embark on a journey of real exploration of resistome data using ResistoXplorer

Through hands-on exercises and analysis, you’ll be introduced to a real experience of resistome analysis. You’ll use ResistoXplorer, a web-based resource developed at the University of Oslo that doesn’t require advanced bioinformatics skills.

This course will be particularly useful for clinicians, basic research students, and scientists in health-science fields, as well as public health professionals. You may also find it appealing if you work in the field of bioinformatics, with a special interest in strengthening multi-disciplinary collaborations.

You will be invited for a hands-on experience using ResistoXplorer, a free web tool developed at the University of Oslo. The tool works with major modern browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

This course will be particularly useful for clinicians, basic research students, and scientists in health-science fields, as well as public health professionals. You may also find it appealing if you work in the field of bioinformatics, with a special interest in strengthening multi-disciplinary collaborations.

• Reflect upon the urgency in addressing the antimicrobial resistance crisis
• Demonstrate knowledge on why microbial communities and the antibiotic resistance genes they carry-the resistome-are relevant for the understanding of drug resistance
• Discuss the consequences of the off-target impact of antibiotics on microbial communities
• Demonstrate knowledge on how resistome studies are designed and conducted
• Apply the acquired knowledge in a hands-on activity that uses ResistoXplorer for visual, statistical and functional analysis of resistome data