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Antibiotics of the future: are they prone to bacterial resistance?

Project description

A lifeline in the fight against resistant infections

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious challenge. Despite new antibiotics in development, many could lose their effectiveness as bacteria adapt quickly. This threatens our ability to treat infections effectively, rolling back decades of medical progress. To confront this issue, the ERC-funded FutureAntibiotics project aims to predict how well new antibiotics will work over time. By studying how bacteria become resistant, the project seeks to guide the development of more effective treatments. It offers a ray of hope in the face of growing microbial resistance. Specifically, it will explore resistance evolution in ESKAPE pathogens – a group of bacteria known for their ability to ‘escape’ the effects of antibiotics – to map species-specific vulnerabilities.

Objective

Although several new antibiotic candidates are in the clinical pipeline, the future evolution of resistance in bacteria may render them ineffective. This project aims to develop a framework for forecasting the long-term effectiveness of new antibiotic candidates. For this purpose, we will decipher the general principles shaping bacterial resistance to a wide range of antibiotic candidates currently in development. Using recently developed methods in our laboratory, we will study resistance evolution in bacterial ESKAPE pathogens at unprecedented resolution and address four specific aims. First, we explore the shared features of antibiotics with limited susceptibility to resistance. Second, we systematically map species-specific differences in resistance evolution with implications on narrow-spectrum antibacterial therapies that could remain effective. Third, we assess the clinical risks associated with resistance by studying the global biogeography and habitat-specificity of resistant bacteria. Finally, we systematically explore the potential links between resistance evolution and increased bacterial virulence. The outcomes will provide guidelines for future antibiotic use, aid in genomic surveillance of resistance genes, and facilitate the design of antibiotics with reduced susceptibility to resistance.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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

(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG

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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.

€ 3 479 716,00
Address
TEMESVARI KORUT 62
6726 Szeged
Hungary

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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.

€ 3 479 716,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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