Objective
Due to its multidrug resistance (MDR), Enterococcus faecium (Efm) poses a challenge to the healthcare system and renders most standard antibiotics useless.
Bacteriophage (phage) therapy has resurfaced as a treatment strategy for bacterial infections due to increasing antibiotic resistance. Its advantages include specificity, low side effects and production costs, especially when used in combination with standard-of-care antibiotics.
Phage therapy has been successful in compassionate use, but its wider implementation is hindered by a lack of knowledge on which antibiotics phages synergize and the mechanisms behind remain elusive.
Our project is unique in that it aims to enable the use of conventional antibiotics in MDR Efm through phages. We want to explore which antibiotic classes phages synergize with, which survival strategies Efm uses against phages, and how host factors influence the ability of the antibiotic-phage combination to kill Efm.
First, we will investigate phages' interaction with different antibiotic classes against Efm. We will explore the dynamics of phage-antibiotic combinations and whether they are additive, synergistic, or antagonistic.
Second, potential phage survival strategies of Efm will be investigated. Additionally, membrane vesicles will be investigated as a potential survival strategy against phages, and their ability to act as a decoy and protect the bacterium from phages will be studied.
Third, we will investigate the impact of host factors on the phage-antibiotic killing of Efm, to see whether they can enhance or suppress the phage-antibiotic killing.
This approach will provide a deeper understanding of the phages-antibiotic interaction against MDR Efm strains, as well as potential survival systems of Efm which may also shed light on possible mitigation strategies.
Overall, this approach has the potential to enable the use of standard-of-care drugs against MDR bacterial infections in general.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance multidrug resistance
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
9019 Tromso
Norway
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.