On September 30, 2024, Superheroes against Superbugs (SaS) successfully launched its ‘AMR Frontline Workshop Series’ in Karnataka, by organising an all-day event for final-year medical students at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI). Organized in collaboration with the Department of Medical Education, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovation (APSI India) and the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), this workshop is first among a series of AMR awareness sessions planned for medical students in Karnataka. Over the next few months, SaS will be engaging with final year medical undergraduates from various Government and Private Medical Colleges in and around Bengaluru.

The 4th All-Cluster RF-APSI meeting was held on September 27th and 28th at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune. Consortium members from Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru discussed standard operating procedures developed through their work in environmental and clinical surveillance to detect pathogens of public health concern.

As part of the Rockefeller Foundation-Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations (RF-APSI) outreach in Bangalore, we designed the module for Dengue Warriors Awareness & Education program for Schools and teachers and carried out a mix of subject matter experts (SME) lectures and hands-on exhibits through interactive and engaging sessions on various days.

The Rockefeller Foundation-Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations, RF-APSI-India’s Bangalore cluster conducted its first hands-on workshop, with a rigorous 3-day module (Sept 16-18, 2024), including hands-on molecular biology techniques for pathogen surveillance and AMR detection from wastewater samples and clinical samples.

Bangalore: On September 13, 2024 The Rockefeller Foundation-APSI-India in partnership with Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, India Insectary team organized the Outreach activity, "Pathogen Surveillance strategies and way forward".

Ashoka University, in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR–IGIB), organized a 2-day hands-on workshop on DNA sequencing on August 29th and 30 th at IGIB. The workshop was carried out as part of the Rockefeller Foundation-Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations-India (RF-APSI-India) program.

With the registrations opening a month prior, the 2 days antimicrobial research conference, 2024 (ARC 2024) started off on a great note on August 22, 2024, until August 23, 2024, covering latest research, policies and outreach towards better antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global and urgent threat to public health.

The recent collaboration between the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) Communications team, the theater group The Ennui Collective and the Rockefeller Foundation-Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations, RF-APSI-India led to the production of the play, ‘Manju, what’s up with you’.

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad hosted a five-day (July 29th to August 2nd, 2024) hands-on training workshop to provide a detailed understanding of the various technical approaches for wastewater surveillance The workshop was attended by faculty, staff & students from research institutes & public health laboratories conducting disease surveillance. The workshop provided end-to-end training on sample collection & processing techniques, nucleic acid- based pathogen detection including use of next generation sequencing tools for variant detection & resistome profiling. Additionally, data analysis tools used for detection of pathogens (viruses and bacteria contributing to antimicrobial resistance) were also discussed. The workshop provided a comprehensive overview of how wastewater surveillance can serve as a powerful tool to monitor as well as predict disease outbreaks and it was well-appreciated by the participants.

On Sunday, June 30, 2024, Bengaluru city launched the first series of workshops for joint dialogue between scientist-clinicians, policy makers and government officials for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance strategies and clinical approaches. The workshop, offered to clinicians and practicing physicians across Bengaluru as a Continuing Medical Education-CME, was held under the banner of the Rockefeller Foundation-Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations-India (RF-APSI-India) at the Smrithi Auditorium, Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH). With a full attendance of more than 150 people, the one-day workshop was the first capacity-building and dialog platform in Bengaluru under the RF-APSI- India program, to incorporate molecular diagnostic and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for routine public health surveillance.

Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC), a RF-APSI partner, in collaboration with the Superheroes against Superbugs (SaS), conducted a one-day workshop on raising awareness for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (BJMC) and Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College (BVMC).

The third all cluster meeting of the RF-APSI Consortium was held at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR-NCBS), Bengaluru on May 23 rd and 24 th , 2024. APSI researchers, staff and students from all participating institutions including NCBS, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), Bengaluru, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, Pasteur Institute, Shillong, CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune Knowledge Cluster, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Ashoka University, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and outreach partner-Chase-India, presented their ongoing work.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stands as a critical global health concern, presenting a significant threat. Low- and middle-income nations are particularly vulnerable, facing substantial challenges to public health and causing a heavy economic burden. Recent research has shed light on the impact of networks on the transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These networks are propelled by interactions among various realms (such as human health, animal husbandry, and veterinary medicine) and other factors, including environmental influences. Recently, we conducted a workshop on WWS surveillance for AMR at Ashoka University.

The first ONLINE workshop in the AMR Frontline series, a Superheroes against Superbugs initiative funded by The Rockefeller Foundation as part of the Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations (APSI) in India, was conducted in collaboration with the Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR).

Researchers from all four clusters of Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore presented details of studies conducted during Phase II of the project. Discussions were focused on the importance of wastewater surveillance to detect pathogens of public health concern in India.

The third AMR Frontline Workshop, organized by Superheroes against Superbugs in collaboration with Ashoka University, was held at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida. Under the mandate of the Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations (APSI)-India supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the event on December 13, 2023, focused on educating budding medical professionals about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

As part of the APSI project, SaS in collaboration with Ashoka University organised two medical workshops in Delhi with an aim to empower the next generation of healthcare professionals with essential knowledge and strategies to effectively combat AMR.

PKC, in collaboration with the District Malaria Office, Pune, is organizing the SAKSHAM series of workshops to empower the field workers who are responsible for the surveillance of vector-borne diseases with special emphasis on dengue and chikungunya. These workshops are being held at the taluka level to reach the Health Workers of all the 13 talukas of Pune district.

This dashboard represents the results of wastewater surveillance in a user-friendly format, providing information on viral loads of four pathogens – COVID-19, H1N1, H3N2 and Influeza-A, found in wastewater. These samples were collected from various locations across the Pune Metropolitan Region, including the Pune Municipal Corporation Region and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Region, from Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and open nallas and drains. The mapping of WWS results provides a pictorial and graphical representation of the viral load, making it simple for various stakeholders to interpret the data.

APSI’s Program Lead shared insights and learnings from setting up a wastewater surveillance network in India. The talk titled ‘APSI: a pan-India consortium for monitoring pathogens via wastewater surveillance‘ is available via the meeting recording (Video 1, Minutes 37:00 - 48:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn8zcFXPf40&t=3s

-Focus on strengthening existing Dengue surveillance. -Tracking and reduction of disease burden. -Data on Dengue is fragmented. We will need to work with multiple groups to generate datasets. -Sampling strategy and Genomic and environmental surveillance of COVID-19, data analysis and experience of Pune through the pandemic were presented and discussed. -Dr Samuel V. Scarpino, Former Vice President of Pathogen Surveillance, presented his views on the importance of active surveillance as a continuous activity to check on the resurgence of diseases and track newer mutations, if any. -The meeting concluded with a further disease of interest, dengue.

-The meeting was hosted by PKC to understand how we can leverage the pune consortium and partners’ expertise to other infectious diseases. -Importance of data in epidemiology. -Use of serology and genomic data will support the development of diagnostic tools. -The focus diseases as per the stakeholder should be Dengue/Chikungunya, Influenza, and SARS-CoV2.

Superheroes Against Superbugs hosted "Magnetize Your Creativity 2.0" at T-hub, Hyderabad, engaging 30+ innovators in AMR awareness through a comic-inspired mural. Attendees created fridge magnets, translating understanding into art, while German crew Prosieben eyed the AMR mural for an AMR documentary.

It was an immersive event that fused the realms of scientific research and creative writing. Participants delved into enlightening conversations with AMR researchers, explored the intricate workings of labs, and used their words to convey their newfound insights on this pressing global health issue.

SaS with LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad conducted a workshop for 85 medical students on AMR awareness, and how clinicians and hospitals can contribute. The workshop included informative sessions on AMR surveillance, case study discussions with clinician experts, visits to microbiology labs, and role-play and games.

The moving mural on AMR created by SaS and St.Anns students was placed at different locations in Hyderabad and served as a backdrop for activities highlighting our collective responsibility in battling AMR. Enthusiastic participants channeled their creativity into crafting miniature art pieces as a take home message on AMR.

Over a dynamic two-day event, SaS collaborated with students of St. Ann's College students and a local artist to create a compelling mural, igniting conversations on AMR. Activities included an interaction with Dr. S. Shivaji (an eminent researcher on eye infections and AMR at the LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad), a quiz competition, and a skit on antibiotic resistance. This immersive approach offered a holistic view on AMR, leveraging the power of art, interaction, and education.

The first Rockefeller Foundation (RF)-India Consortium Meet was held at CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad. where scientists from all four clusters of Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore presented data of research and outreach activities.