
Antibiotic resistance: microbiologists turn to new technologies in the hunt for solutions
11/16/23 • 26 min
1 Listener
The rise of drug-resistant infections is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs were estimated to kill 1.27 million people in 2019, and the UN projects that drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050. In this episode, we hear from a microbiologist at a hospital in Nigeria working on the frontlines against antibiotic resistance, and find out about the new scientific techniques, including artificial intelligence, being deployed to find new potential antibiotics.
Featuring Nubwa Medugu, a clinical microbiologist at Nile University of Nigeria and André O. Hudson, dean of the College of Science and professor of biochemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology in the US.
This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available.
Further reading:
- Will we still have antibiotics in 50 years? We asked 7 global experts
- Resistance to antibiotics in northern Nigeria: what bacteria are prevalent, and which drugs work against them
- Antibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugs
- More reading from our series on The dangers of antibiotic resistance
The rise of drug-resistant infections is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs were estimated to kill 1.27 million people in 2019, and the UN projects that drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050. In this episode, we hear from a microbiologist at a hospital in Nigeria working on the frontlines against antibiotic resistance, and find out about the new scientific techniques, including artificial intelligence, being deployed to find new potential antibiotics.
Featuring Nubwa Medugu, a clinical microbiologist at Nile University of Nigeria and André O. Hudson, dean of the College of Science and professor of biochemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology in the US.
This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available.
Further reading:
- Will we still have antibiotics in 50 years? We asked 7 global experts
- Resistance to antibiotics in northern Nigeria: what bacteria are prevalent, and which drugs work against them
- Antibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugs
- More reading from our series on The dangers of antibiotic resistance
Previous Episode

After Morocco's earthquake, artisans in Marrakech’s old medina face an uncertain future
Two months after the earthquake, we hear why Marrakech and its medina are so important to Islamic heritage – and why some researchers are worried that the expertise of the city's traditional artisans could being overlooked in the reconstruction.
Featuring Abbey Stockstill, assistant professor of art history at Southern Methodist University in the US; Nour Eddine Nachaoune, professor of heritage at Université Mohammed V in Rabat; and Kalpana Jain, senior religion and ethics editor and director of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative at The Conversation in the US.
This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany, who also recorded the English voiceover in this episode. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is now available.
Further reading:
- Marrakech artisans – who have helped rebuild the Moroccan city before – are among those hit hard in the earthquake’s devastation
- Tinmel – Morocco’s medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake
- What caused Morocco’s earthquake? A geologist studying the Atlas mountains explains
Next Episode

Brandalism: the environmental activists using spoof adverts to critique rampant consumerism
Amid the flurry of billboards promoting cut price deals in the run up to Black Friday, some activists have slipped in the odd spoof advert. By subverting public advertising space, they’re risking legal action to try and make serious points about the excesses of consumer culture and the perilous state of the environment. In this episode, we find out about the subvertising movement and its links to a wider conversation about mass consumerism and the environment.
Featuring Eleftheria Lekakis, a senior lecturer in media and communication at the University of Sussex in the UK.
This episode was written, produced and sound designed by Eloise Stevens, with production assistance from Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Gemma Ware is the executive producer of the show.. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is now available.
Further reading:
- Why artists installed 600 fake adverts at COP21
- Artists are not at the negotiating table at COP26 but art is everywhere. What can they accomplish through their work?
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-conversation-weekly-176770/antibiotic-resistance-microbiologists-turn-to-new-technologies-in-the-37021081"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to antibiotic resistance: microbiologists turn to new technologies in the hunt for solutions on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy