Descripción del proyecto
Combatir la resistencia a los antimicrobianos desde dentro
La capacidad de los microorganismos patógenos para resistir a los antibióticos, un fenómenos conocido como resistencia a los antimicrobianos (RAM), provoca millones de muertes cada año y supone una grave amenaza sanitaria en todo el mundo. Las bacterias resistentes a varios o a todos los fármacos disponibles pintan un panorama angustioso que podría dar lugar a un nueva pandemia mundial. El proyecto IN-ARMOR, financiado por el programa Horizonte Europa, tiene por objeto potenciar los mecanismos de defensa innatos del organismo para combatir la RAM. Sus investigadores emplearán el diseño de fármacos asistido por ordenador para desarrollar una nueva clase de activadores del sistema inmunitario, que se suministrarán con un sistema de administración basado en la nanotecnología. La eficacia de estos activadores se probará en modelos preclínicos. En el proyecto también se pretende superar los cuellos de botella asociados al desarrollo de antibióticos y ofrecer un tratamiento alternativo para la RAM.
Objetivo
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) & multi-drug resistance, whereby pathogens evolve to resist antibiotic drugs, is designated by WHO one of the top 10 health threats of our time and is a top 3 priority health threat requiring EU level coordination. AMR was estimated to be linked to 4.95 million deaths in 2019. The next global pandemic could be a multi-drug resistant bacterium, or emergence of ‘pan-drug’ resistant strains (resistant to all existing drugs). Alternative therapeutic approaches are proving to be expensive and slow to develop, whilst also facing the risk of evolving strains. The innate immunity presents the strongest potential to tackle AMR as it can generate antimicrobial molecules and proteins that directly inhibit microbial survival. Inducing such proteins has shown effective antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi & protozoa.
Building on this approach, leading professors and researchers from 9 Universities and research institutes are collaborating with 7 medical and industry partners representing 9 EU countries to introduce a novel class of immune system inducers able to enhance the body’s own innate microbial defence mechanisms to combat AMR and reduce incidence of the 13 listed most dangerous infections (including 2 of the top 3 priority-1 infections).
IN-ARMOR will optimise an already developed drug platform using Computer Aided Drug Design, and in-silico approaches, in tandem with a nanotech-based drug delivery system for the first target indication. The developed therapy will be pre-clinically validated for safety and efficacy in-vitro and in vivo to complete all investigational Medicinal Product requirements.
Upon completion, IN-ARMOR will be prepared for clinical validation. Upon commercialisation, IN-AMOR could potentially save more 4Mn lives worldwide and result in the significant burden reduction of antibiotic development with long-term cost reduction impact of €107Bn, whilst reducing the global disease burden by 96.84Mn DAL
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibiotics
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistancemultidrug resistance
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-06-two-stage
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaRégimen de financiación
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinador
101 Reykjavik
Islandia