Chemical engineer Dr Sophie Cox's work on engineering honey to fight the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance has today (3 April 2019) been featured on BBC One's Breakfast news programme.
Antimicrobial resistance could kill 10 billion people globally by 2050 unless solutions are found. Honey is a natural antimicrobial but is sticky and difficult to apply to patients’ wounds. Sophie and her team are engineering a spray, cream and powder to enable controlled, easy delivery of honey. They hope to get these innovative products to clinical trial within five years.
Dr Cox's work on antibiotic resistance research is now at the centre of a fundraising appeal asking graduates, staff, and students to help turn honey into hope. It’s already proving successful, with £4,398 being raised through the University's annual BUAFTA Awards raffle.