Dr Rachel McMullan

In October 2021 the Open University completed delivery of the second Global Learning Fleming Grant. It developed 25 online modules (OLCreate: Tackling antimicrobial resistance (open.edu)) and a toolkit (OLCreate: PUB_4849_1.0 Tackling antimicrobial resistance: the AMR surveillance toolkit (open.edu)). These are designed to promote greater understanding of AMR surveillance and the improvement and application of skills among AMR professionals, especially in Fleming Fund countries. The online modules and toolkit remain available on the Open University Open Learn platform beyond the end of the grant. Mott MacDonald and the Department of Health and Social Care asked OU to deliver this project's cost extention to provide monitoring data and associated analysis to monitor uptake of the modules and the toolkit. The data is to be disaggregated by module, pathway, AMR Toolkit and survey data. New contract Outputs: 1. Agree data reporting format with Mott MacDonald 2. Supply monitoring information and analysis throughout the contract period 3. Run quarterly data reports and carry out essential analysis as needed 4. Provide the data on a quarterly basis, by the 10th of the month following the end of the quarter. Simple table formats will suffice 5. Be prepared to have a brief phone call about the data each quarter in case of any queries 6. Take part in a review meeting in Q4 (Oct-Dec 2022) to discuss findings from the data and next steps

Phase II of the Fleming Fund is further support to Fleming Fund countries to build-upon and advance the achievements of Phase I. Investing in similar areas, the programme focusses on four outcomes: 1. Production of quality AMR/U/C and burden data 2. Quality analyses of data 3. Sharing analyses and data with decision-makers 4. Promoting sustainable investment to counter AMR Phase II includes a programme of four grant streams: 1. Country Grants - To support implementation of quality assured national surveillance programmes for AMR/U/C and burden using a One Health approach and in line with Fleming Fund principles and National Action Plans; to provide coordination with other grant streams and with Government and other stakeholders; to work towards data and evidence use in policy and practice in human health, animal health and food production, food safety, and the environment; and to promote sustainability, primarily through resource mobilisation. 2. Fleming Fellowship Scheme Grants - To provide continual professional development and leadership opportunities for fellows to improve capabilities for production, analysis and use of data within the surveillance system. 3. Regional Grants – To provide technical assistance at a multi-country level to support and improve key technical functions for AMR surveillance systems in the production, analysis and use of data. 4. Strategic Alignment Grants – Grants that are used to take advantage of opportunities as they arise during the Phase II programme, under the principles of adaptive management.

Rho signaling has been extensively studied using biochemistry and cell-based assays that have demonstrated roles for Rho in many basic cell functions. These studies have told us a lot about the functions of Rho, however little about their importance in a whole animal. Rho signaling is essential during development making it difficult to study Rho’s role in adult animals. Analysis of adult Rho signaling pathways is important because aberrant signaling by these pathways has been implicated in human disease. In this study I aim to define the Rho pathways that act in adult animals. In particular I will identify those pathways that trigger changes in cell morphology as part of the C. elegans innate immune response. By identifying effectors important for this phenotype we will better understand Rho’s role in controlling cell morphology in adult animals. The innate immune system is evolutionarily conserved, for example, both Rho and MAPKinase function in the mammalian immune system and this is also true in C. elegans. In addition cross talk between Rho and MAPKinase pathways has been suggested to contribute to the action of oncogenic Ras. The molecular interactions that mediate this cross talk and Rho’s activation during the immune response remain poorly described and this phenotype provides a genetic model to dissect them. Defining these pathways and the relationships between them in C. elegans is likely to tell us more about how they are involved in innate immunity and misregulated in diseases such as cancer.