Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: How ATCC's AMR Collection Supports the Global Scientific Community
September 04, 2025, at 12:00 PM ETAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health crisis that contributed to 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and is projected to result in 40 million deaths by 2050. To combat this threat, ATCC has introduced a curated collection of 100 AMR strains relevant to the 2024 WHO Priority Pathogen List. Each strain is phenotypically characterized using VITEK 2 and CLSI MIC methods and genomically characterized via whole-genome sequencing with data assembly, annotation, and methylation profiles—all publicly available through the ATCC Genome Portal.
Webinar attendees will learn:
- How ATCC’s AMR strain collection aligns with global public health priorities
- Methods and tools used for phenotypic and genomic characterization of AMR strains
- How to access and leverage ATCC’s annotated datasets for accelerating AMR solutions
Presenters
Shahin Ali, PhD
Senior Scientist, Collections, ATCC
Dr. Ali is a Senior Scientist in the Collections group at ATCC, where he supports the acquisition and characterization of microbial resources that advance global research and innovation. He has more than 13 years of experience in fungal biology and plant–pathogen interactions, with expertise in fungal identification, genomics, and microbial diversity. Prior to joining ATCC, Dr. Ali was a researcher at the USDA-ARS at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. He earned his Ph.D. from University College Dublin, Ireland, in 2012.
Briana Benton, BS
Program Manager, ATCC
Briana Benton is a Program Manager for ATCC’s Sequencing and Bioinformatics department. Her current focus is on the ATCC Genome Portal and expanding the collection of published reference genomes. Briana previously worked on the development of mock microbial communities for microbiome research and synthetic molecular standards for molecular diagnostics assays. Prior to joining ATCC, she developed molecular diagnostic assays for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
