Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Joe and I have decided to join the rest of the Moorey family in running the Birmingham 10k. This is my first ever 10k and Joe's 2nd and it's safe to say I'm a little bit nervous! As two scientists running with a group of Doctors it seemed only fitting that we raised money for an appropriate cause. My passion for microbes prompted a quick Google search and to my delight I discovered the UK's first antibiotic research charity, Antibiotic ResearchUK.

I've listed a few simplified reasons for why I made my choice of charity (there is an endless list but don't worry, I've condensed it - you're welcome)

I'm sure you've heard of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus). The reason that's so scary is because it's a common bug that no longer responds to the standard treatment. So imagine in the future when that applies to hundreds more common infections... Imagine getting an untreatable UTI, a chest infection that could kill you, or worse you have a baby with meningitis but the drugs just won't work and you feel totally helpless.

Without antibiotics we can expect routine procedures and common infections to be potentially deadly.

Without antibiotics that nice little incision made from a routine operation is basically a doorway for nasties to get into your body... That's not a good thing... Antibiotics help keep the nasties out.

So why aren't there any new antibiotics? Why can we make some more? Unfortunately it's not that easy... Very few new classes of antibiotics have been discovered in the past 30 years because we can't keep up with the mechanisms of resistance that bacteria have evolved. 

But why the need for a charity? Isn't this kind of thing funded? Well yes, but drug development is expensive and takes a looong time. The sad truth is that an antibiotic you take for a week won't make as much money as a drug you take every day for the rest of your life. Curing people in a week is just not as profitable so there is a tendency for pharmaceutical funding to favour long term drugs. That's just how it is. The charity focuses on both research and education to avoid antibiotic misuse.

You can read a little news item about us running on their website (http://www.antibioticresearch.org.uk/sponsor-alice-moorey-and-joe-ford-to-run-the-birmingham-10k-for-antibiotic-research-uk/) and find lots more info on the importance of antibiotic research.

If any of this is interesting to you or you just want to show your support as we crawl out way over the finish line, please give a little donation. We very much appreciate it!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.