Objective

Alexander Fleming serendipitously discovered penicillin in 1928. However, the successful production and delivery of penicillin took until in 1941. This advance happened because of a pressing need (WWII) and required multidisciplinary, transnational co-operation, involving academics, government and industry to produce effective quantities of purified penicillin. This and subsequent discoveries in the “golden age” of antibiotics led to the development of most of the antibiotics in use today. We are almost back full circle. This time we need a war on antibiotic resistance as the need is pressing to develop 21st c alternatives to penicillin. I will illustrate the problems and approaches we are taking, and show once again that multidisciplinary transnational cooperation is key to help develop the solutions.