Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Bacterial evolution of hypersensitivity and resistance against antimicrobial peptides

Objective

Evolution of resistance towards a single drug simultaneously increases (cross-resistance) or decreases (collateral sensitivity) fitness to multiple other antimicrobial agents. The molecular mechanisms driving cross-resistance are relatively well described, but it remains largely unclear how frequently does genetic adaptation to a single drug increase the sensitivity to others and what the underlying molecular mechanisms of collateral sensitivity are. This proposal focuses on studying the bacterial evolution of resistance and collateral sensitivity against antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Beyond their modulatory roles in the immune system, these naturally occurring peptides provide protection against pathogenic microbes, and are considered as promising novel alternatives to traditional antibiotics. However, there are concerns that evolution against therapeutic AMPs can readily develop and as a by-product this might compromise natural immunity. Our knowledge of these issues is limited due to the shortage of systematic evolutionary studies. Therefore, the three central questions we address are: Do bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics become hypersensitive to certain antimicrobial peptides? What are the evolutionary mechanisms leading to AMP resistance and to what extent does this process induce cross-resistance/collateral sensitivity against other drugs? Last, are these evolutionary trade-offs predictable based on chemical and functional peptide properties? To investigate these issues rigorously, we integrate tools of laboratory evolution, high-throughput phenotypic assays, functional genomics, and computational systems biology. Our project will provide an insight into the evolutionary mechanisms that drive cross-resistance and collateral sensitivities with the aim to explore the vulnerable points of resistant bacteria. Another goal is to provide guidelines for the future design of antimicrobial peptides with desirable properties against bacterial pathogens.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2014-CoG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

HUN-REN SZEGEDI BIOLOGIAI KUTATOKOZPONT
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 846 250,00
Address
TEMESVARI KORUT 62
6726 Szeged
Hungary

See on map

Region
Alföld és Észak Dél-Alföld Csongrád
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 846 250,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0