Superbugs Among Us
How Pop-Up Science Shops Are Fighting the Silent Pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance
The Unseen War: Microscopic Foes Gaining Ground
Imagine a world where a simple scratch could be deadly, where routine surgeries become life-threatening procedures, and where modern medicine's greatest achievements are rendered useless.
This isn't the plot of a science fiction movie—it's the growing reality of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most urgent global public health threats we face today 1 7 .
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to defeat the medicines designed to kill them. These "superbugs" are responsible for an estimated 1.27 million deaths globally each year and contributed to nearly 5 million more 1 . In the United States alone, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur annually, resulting in over 35,000 deaths 7 .
The economic toll is equally staggering, with AMR projected to cause up to $3.4 trillion in annual global GDP losses by 2030 1 .
Combating this threat requires not just scientific innovation but also public understanding and engagement. Enter an innovative solution: the pop-up science shop, a dynamic new approach to bridging the gap between laboratory research and community action.
What Are Science Shops and Why Do We Need Them?
Traditional science often operates within ivory towers, with research agendas set by funding agencies and academic interests. Science shops flip this model by putting community concerns at the heart of scientific inquiry. Originally conceived in the 1970s, science shops connect civil society organizations (CSOs) and community groups with researchers to investigate questions that matter to them .
Traditional Science Shop
Permanent location connecting researchers with community organizations to address local issues through scientific research.
Pop-Up Science Shop
Temporary installations in communities to harvest ideas, co-create research questions, and demystify the scientific process .
The "pop-up" version of this concept takes this collaboration directly to the public. Rather than maintaining a permanent physical location, pop-up science shops temporarily appear in communities—in community centers, libraries, or public spaces—to harvest ideas, co-create research questions, and demystify the scientific process .
Why This Approach Works for AMR
- It translates abstract science into tangible local concerns
- It builds mutual understanding between researchers and the public
- It generates locally relevant solutions with community buy-in
- It empowers citizens to become active participants in scientific discovery
As one coordinator of such an initiative noted, many community organizations are eager to engage with research but need help understanding how to formulate research questions and how scientific inquiry can inform their work .
The Malmö Experiment: A Pop-Up Science Shop in Action
In 2017, researchers at Malmö University in Sweden decided to test the pop-up science shop model as part of a regional social innovation project. Their goal was straightforward but ambitious: to create a flexible, accessible platform where civil society organizations could connect with researchers to tackle pressing societal challenges .
How the Pop-Up Process Worked
Initial Community Meeting
Invitations were sent to CSOs throughout the region, resulting in 25 participants from 15 different organizations. In this first meeting, focused entirely on the CSOs, participants worked in small groups to identify and refine their challenges into potential research questions. The outcome was 17 distinct community-identified challenges .
Bridging with Research
Between meetings, the science shop coordinators acted as matchmakers, scanning the university for relevant research expertise and identifying researchers interested in community collaboration .
Collaborative Refinement
A second meeting brought CSOs and researchers together to explore the issues in greater depth. Through facilitated discussion, they narrowed the focus to eight promising directions, which eventually crystallized into four concrete project ideas .
Project Development
A third meeting focused on developing these ideas into fundable research proposals with clear pathways to impact .
From Conversation to Impact
The process yielded four main project themes that merged community concerns with research expertise: the circular economy, social impact, gaming addiction, and culture and communication. The success of this approach demonstrated that even with limited resources, a pop-up model could generate genuine research partnerships that addressed real-world problems .
Cracking the Code of AMR Awareness: What Actually Works?
While innovative engagement models like science shops show promise, research has revealed that raising awareness about AMR requires more than just presenting facts. A 2023 study examined why some antibiotic awareness campaigns succeed while others fail, testing a structural model to understand the factors that actually influence behavior 9 .
The Limitations of Information Alone
Key Finding
The study found that mere exposure to antibiotic awareness campaigns was not enough to change people's intentions to demand antibiotic treatment. This explains why many well-intentioned campaigns have shown mixed results—knowledge alone doesn't necessarily change behavior 9 .
Key Factors That Drive Behavior Change
The research identified several critical elements that make awareness campaigns effective:
When people personally felt at risk from AMR, they were less likely to demand antibiotics. Many respondents viewed AMR as a distant, abstract threat—something that might affect others but not themselves or their families 9 .
Effective when personalizedParental anxiety about a child's illness was a significant driver of antibiotic demand, suggesting that campaigns should address emotional concerns alongside providing information 9 .
Increases antibiotic demandThe study found that viewing AMR prevention as a social responsibility had a moderating effect on intention to demand antibiotics. Framing the issue as a collective responsibility rather than just an individual choice proved more effective 9 .
Promotes responsible behaviorUnderstanding how to prevent AMR had a moderate direct effect on behavior, but was most effective when combined with other factors like risk perception and social responsibility 9 .
Necessary but not sufficient| Factor | Impact on Antibiotic Demand | Implication for Campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge of AMR prevention | Moderate direct effect | Necessary but not sufficient alone |
| Personal risk perception | Strong negative correlation | Make the threat feel personal and immediate |
| Anxiety about illness | Strong positive correlation | Address emotional concerns and provide alternatives |
| Sense of social responsibility | Significant moderating effect | Frame AMR as a collective community issue |
These findings suggest that pop-up science shops might be particularly effective because they naturally incorporate these success factors. By creating personal connections between community members and the issue, facilitating dialogues rather than lectures, and emphasizing community-level solutions, they help make abstract risks feel tangible and relevant.
Beyond Awareness: Scientific Frontiers in the Fight Against Superbugs
While public engagement is crucial, the scientific community is also making revolutionary advances in developing new weapons against superbugs. Two recent breakthroughs highlight the innovative approaches being explored:
AI-Designed Antibiotics
In 2025, MIT researchers announced they had used generative AI algorithms to design novel antibiotics capable of combating two of the most challenging infections: drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 2 .
The team employed two different AI approaches—one constrained by specific chemical fragments with known antimicrobial activity, and another that freely generated molecules based only on general chemical rules. This allowed them to explore vast regions of chemical space that had never been investigated before, resulting in compounds structurally distinct from existing antibiotics 2 .
"Our work shows the power of AI from a drug design standpoint, and enables us to exploit much larger chemical spaces that were previously inaccessible"
The most promising candidates appear to work through novel mechanisms that disrupt bacterial cell membranes, making it harder for bacteria to develop resistance.
AI-Designed Antibiotics
Exploring chemical spaces previously inaccessible to traditional methods
Synthetic Solutions Inspired by Nature
Synthetic Cresomycin
Enhanced binding to bacterial ribosomes bypasses existing resistance mechanisms
Meanwhile, Harvard researchers took a different approach, creating a synthetic compound called cresomycin that shows remarkable effectiveness against many drug-resistant bacteria 8 . The team drew inspiration from naturally occurring antibiotics but used fully synthetic methods to create compounds with enhanced properties.
What makes cresomycin special is its "pre-organized" structure that gives it a stronger grip on bacterial ribosomes. Bacteria often resist antibiotics by producing enzymes that block drugs from binding to their ribosomes. Cresomycin's rigidified shape allows it to maintain a firm hold even in the presence of these defensive enzymes 8 .
| Approach | Mechanism | Advantages | Stage of Development |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-designed antibiotics | Disruption of bacterial cell membranes | Explores entirely novel chemical structures; not limited to existing templates | Preclinical testing |
| Synthetic cresomycin | Enhanced binding to bacterial ribosomes | Bypasses existing bacterial resistance mechanisms | Preclinical profiling with CARB-X funding |
| Component-based synthesis | Building complex molecules from pre-made components | Rapid production and testing of hundreds of candidate molecules | Platform technology used in drug discovery |
Joining the Fight: How You Can Make a Difference
The battle against superbugs requires all of us to become stewards of antimicrobial medicines. Based on CDC recommendations and research insights, here are the most effective actions you can take 7 9 :
Prevent Infections First
Practice good hand hygiene, keep cuts clean and covered, and stay up-to-date with recommended vaccines.
Use Antibiotics Appropriately
Never pressure your healthcare provider for antibiotics when they're not needed. Remember that antibiotics don't work against viral illnesses like colds or flu.
Follow Expert Guidance
If prescribed antibiotics, take them exactly as directed—never save them for later or share with others.
Spread Awareness Thoughtfully
Share information that emphasizes both personal risk and collective responsibility, as research shows this dual approach is most effective 9 .
Engage with Community Science
Support or participate in local science engagement initiatives like pop-up science shops that bring researchers and community members together to tackle complex issues.
| Action Category | Specific Practices | Impact on AMR |
|---|---|---|
| Infection Prevention | Hand hygiene, vaccination, safe food preparation | Reduces the need for antibiotics |
| Antibiotic Stewardship | Using only when prescribed, completing courses, proper disposal | Limits selection pressure driving resistance |
| Social Engagement | Informed conversations, support for research, community science | Creates cultural shift toward collective responsibility |
A Collective Front Against an Invisible Threat
The silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance won't be solved by drugs alone nor by awareness in isolation. The pop-up science shop model offers a promising template for how we might tackle not just AMR but other complex scientific challenges facing society.
By breaking down barriers between laboratories and communities, by co-creating knowledge rather than simply disseminating it, and by acknowledging both the emotional and rational dimensions of scientific issues, we can build more resilient responses to global threats.
As the Malmö experience demonstrated, sometimes the most powerful science doesn't happen in a pristine laboratory but in community centers where researchers and citizens come together as equal partners.
In the words of one study on public engagement, successfully changing behavior requires us to view AMR not just as an individual concern but as a shared social responsibility 9 . It's through this collaborative spirit that we can turn the tide against superbugs and safeguard these precious medicines for generations to come.
Figure 1. The cycle of community-centered science engagement. Pop-up science shops create an iterative process that transforms community concerns into research questions and research insights into community action.