Objective NONANTIRES is a groundbreaking project to discover alternative ways for controlling the problem of infection treatment failures due to multidrug antimicrobial resistance. Specifically, my efforts will focus on Gram-negative bacterial opportunistic pathogens that exhibit pan-antibiotic, intrinsic resistance. My team has recently uncovered a novel resistance mechanism based on a cooperative behaviour of bacterial populations that show a heterogeneous response to antibiotics. Highly antibiotic resistant cells in low proportion within a heterogeneous population protect the majority of less resistant cells, as well as less resistant cells of other species. Protection depends on augmented production and release of bacterial molecules that diffuse to the medium and mediate increased antibiotic resistance. My team has obtained proof of principle that inhibiting the synthesis pathways for these molecules confers reduced bacterial resistance to bactericidal antibiotics. NONANTIRES's vision is to establish the molecular mechanism of protection and discover new molecules that will act as antibiotic adjuvants, ultimately providing better therapeutic solutions for combatting multidrug resistant microbes Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibioticsmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistancemultidrug resistancemedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG - Marie-Curie Action: "Career Integration Grants" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG) Coordinator THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST Address University road lanyon building BT7 1NN Belfast United Kingdom See on map Region Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Belfast Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Colleen Spence (Mrs.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data
