This project leverages Earth Observation (EO) satellite imagery and exposome maps to identify associations between changes in the anthropogenic exposome and global antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to surpass cancer and cardiovascular
diseases as the leading cause of mortality, with upto 40 million deaths predicted worldwide by
2050. While global maps of AMR are beginning to emerge, they are often underpowered and do
not account for genomic virulence or aetiologies shared with other features of the human
exposome – such as urban growth or pollution. Vitally, reliable open-access markers to forecast
global AMR distributions based on anthropogenic trends are lacking.

In this first-of-its-kind study, time-course earth observation data will be linked to global AMR trends at genome level resolution. The project aims to generate hypotheses exploring the interface between environmental change, exposures and human health. This project provides a flagship collaborative network for integrating EO and molecular biology data at EMBL.