The antibiotic resistance crisis, tackled through data. Drug repositioning for veterinary medicine - built on the same infrastructure as InnoHealth

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious global public health threats. Antibiotic overuse in veterinary medicine contributes directly - but developing new antibiotics takes decades. The University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, one of Europe's oldest and highest-ranked veterinary universities, needed a data platform that could accelerate the identification of existing compounds - or feed additives - capable of reducing antibiotic resistance in animals without requiring the full drug development cycle.

E-Group built the Animal Health Innovation Platform on blueprints from the InnoHealth DataLake, applying proven data engineering methodology to veterinary and food safety data. The platform employs the One Health approach - integrating data across animal health, veterinary public health, food safety, and human health domains to find candidates that reduce antibiotic resistance or act in synergy with existing antibiotics. Drug repositioning via gene expression profiling identifies compounds suitable as feed additives, with European data standards, GDPR-compliant infrastructure, and data harmonisation across traditionally siloed domains.

The platform integrates data domains that had never previously been analysed together - animal health, veterinary medicine, food safety, and human health - creating a comprehensive view of antibiotic resistance dynamics across the food chain. Candidate feed additives identified through the platform can reduce antibiotic usage without requiring new drug development. The three-year government-funded project, supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office, continues to build the evidence base for regulatory action.