Objective
Antibiotic resistance has rapidly increased over the past decades, resulting in an estimated 1.3 million annual deaths globally, with 35,000 in the EU alone, making it one of the top threats to humanity according to the World Health Organization. The frequent misuse of antibiotics and inadequate clinical hygiene practices contribute to the rise of resistant bacteria, highlighting the urgent need for innovative strategies to combat bacterial infections and avert a post-antibiotic era. Concurrently, the decline in newly approved antibiotic agents exacerbates the demand for improved therapies. Initiatives such as “One Health” aim to enhance antimicrobial use and policy while seeking alternatives to conventional antibiotics.
A promising strategy to address bacterial resistance involves encapsulating antibiotics in nanocarriers, leading to the development of nanoantibiotics. These carriers facilitate efficient delivery to infection sites while minimizing side effects. However, synthetic carriers suffer from poor biocompatibility, rapid clearance from circulation, and suboptimal target-specificity.
Our project focuses on developing nanoantibiotics based on natural extracellular vesicles (EVs), known for their low immunogenicity and selective target cell interaction. We previously presented the first protocol for fusion of bacterial EVs with liposomes to obtain highly tuneable EV-hybrid carriers. Our ongoing research into fusogenic EV systems has shown promise in effectively loading antibiotics and demonstrated their antimicrobial efficacy in in vitro and in vivo models. This PoC project aims to scale up the production of such hybrids and explore their potential as a versatile platform technology for various antibiotics. Additionally, we collaborate with a pharmaceutical industry partner and our spin-off service to create a marketing strategy and IP rights commercialisation to overall accelerate the application of these versatile carriers.
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 cell biology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance antibiotic resistance
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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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) ERC-2026-POC
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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.
91058 Erlangen
Germany
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.