Antimicrobial resistance is posing a continuously rising threat to global health. Indeed, one key recommendation from the recent “Action plan against the rising threats from Antimicrobial Resistance” report (submitted by the Commission to the European Parliament and Council (15.11.2011)) is the development of effective antimicrobials or alternatives for treatment of human and animal infections. In
particular, Action 6 of the report is explicit this regard, and urges:
“[The promotion], in a staged approach, of unprecedented collaborative research and development efforts to bring new antibiotics to patients by……mobilising adequate resources, within IMI in particular (and its possible successor), FP7, and in the longer term the forthcoming research and innovation programme 2014-2020 (Horizon 2020), in order to support research and development work, based on criteria and modalities adapted to the specific needs and challenges of antibiotic development.”
The INTEGRATE project is a direct response to this. We have assembled a team of 10 beneficiaries from eight EU member states, encompassing both academic and non-academic sectors and different disciplines, to form a consortium committed to training Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the discovery and preclinical validation of novel Gram-negative antibacterial agents and antibacterial targets. The principle aim of the consortium is to provide a training platform where students are exposed to every aspect of the antimicrobial discovery process, ranging from target identification and validation, through organic synthesis, in silico design and compound screening, to mode-of-action and possible resistance mechanisms. This exposure will be accomplished through a concrete secondment plan, coupled with a series of high-level consortium-wide training events and networking programmes. Our intention is to reverse the current fragmentation of approaches towards antibacterial discovery through mutual cooperation. The INTEGRATE training framework is built on an innovative research project aimed at targeting important but non-essential gene products as an effective means of reducing bacterial fitness, thereby facilitating clearance of the pathogen by the host immune system. To achieve this, the individual work programmes have been designed to seamlessly inter-mesh contributions from the fields of in silico design, organic synthesis, molecular biology and biochemistry, and the very latest in vitro and in vivo screening technologies. The presence of three non-academic beneficiaries and four partners adds significant value to the INTEGRATE proposal by providing a solid link between basic research and the very real and urgent needs of the productive world. This will allow us not only to shape the research and training (R&T) format of the project towards an industry-oriented pre-competitive approach, but also to contribute significantly to the „employability‟ of the trained PhDs and provide valuable and lifelong career networking opportunities.
