Descrizione del progetto
Combattere la resistenza antimicrobica dall’interno
La capacità degli agenti patogeni di resistere agli antibiotici, nota come resistenza antimicrobica (AMR), causa milioni di morti ogni anno e rappresenta una grave minaccia per la salute a livello mondiale. I batteri resistenti a più o a tutti i farmaci disponibili costituiscono uno scenario da incubo che potrebbe portare alla prossima pandemia globale. Finanziato dal programma ORIZZONTE, il progetto IN-ARMOR si propone di potenziare i meccanismi di difesa innati dell’organismo per combattere la resistenza antimicrobica. I ricercatori impiegheranno la progettazione farmacologica assistita da computer per sviluppare una nuova classe di attivatori del sistema immunitario da somministrare tramite un sistema di somministrazione basato sulle nanotecnologie. Questi attivatori saranno testati in modelli preclinici per verificarne l’efficacia. Il progetto intende superare i colli di bottiglia associati allo sviluppo degli antibiotici e offrire un trattamento alternativo per la resistenza antimicrobica.
Obiettivo
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
Campo scientifico
- 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
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Invito a presentare proposte
HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-06-two-stage
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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
101 Reykjavik
Islanda