Description du projet
Développement rapide de vaccins glycoconjugués contre les infections
Les infections bactériennes constituent un fardeau médical et socio-économique considérable, et l’augmentation des bactéries résistantes aux antimicrobiens exige de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques. Les vaccins glycoconjugués (GV) jouent un rôle essentiel dans la lutte contre ces souches bactériennes en reliant les antigènes aux porteurs, ce qui permet de créer une immunité à long terme. Le projet ACINETWORK, financé par l’UE, se propose de développer un vaccin ciblant les souches d’Acinetobacter baumannii, connues pour causer de graves infections. Il n’existe actuellement aucun vaccin contre ces souches. Le projet entend exploiter les antigènes oligosaccharides synthétiques pour créer des vaccins caractérisés par une composition bien définie, une plus grande pureté et de meilleurs profils de sécurité. Cette méthode est plus rapide et moins chère. Le projet va également former de jeunes experts à la conception de ces solutions médicales.
Objectif
Bacterial infections are a societal burden with profound medical and socio-economic impacts. Although antibiotics can be effective, the continuous emergence of bacteria with antimicrobial resistance calls for the introduction of novel therapeutics. In this regard, glycoconjugate vaccines (GV) hold a prominent role in the fight against AMR bacterial strains. They are based on the chemical conjugation of one or more pathogen-associated saccharide antigens to immunogenic carriers, leading to a long-term protective immunity. ACINETWORK will focus on the development of GV against severe and life-threatening infections caused by antimicrobial resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains, which are a major cause of nosocomial diseases and for which no vaccine exists. ACINETWORK wants to overcome the limitations of currently licensed GV, due to highly heterogeneous composition and batch wise variability, by innovatively using structurally-defined synthetic oligosaccharide antigens to develop GV with well-defined composition, higher purity and better safety profiles. The manufacturing of such GV is also more rapid and cost-effective. Thus, this project will set synthesis and testing pipelines that will serve as the prototype for the development of GV against other bacteria. The ACINETWORK consortium comprises universities and SMEs with a unique complementary expertise, ranging from carbohydrate chemistry to nanotechnology, immunology and microbiology, which garantees the realization of the new GV. The goal of ACINETWORK is to also forge 10 young experts in the design of these novel medical solutions with an integrated training program, which will equip them with a large battery of scientific and transferable skills. The multidisciplinarity of the consortium ensures a fertile and stimulating environment in which these young researchers will acquire unique competencies in vaccine design, development and production, which will be central at putting Europe at the forefront of GV.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines
- 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
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral NetworksCoordinateur
20122 Milano
Italie