Project description
Low-cost microbial characterisation in remote regions
Bacterial infections constitute an important health issue, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant species warrants prompt diagnosis. Current antibiotic-susceptibility testing methods require expensive equipment as well as being time-consuming and prone to cross-contamination. Funded by the European Research Council, the MuFLOART project proposes to develop a low-cost photometry device capable of quantifying microbial phenotypes efficiently. This device would enable the study of microbial growth rates, metabolic efficiencies and susceptibility to antibiotics, enabling drug resistance phenotyping in geographically remote areas. The team is currently developing two prototypes and seeking funding to finalise their design and conduct field tests in research labs and schools in the UK.
Objective
The accurate quantification of microbial populations is critical for understanding how microbes evolve and adapt to stressful environments. This, in turn, can help improve rationales for drug deployment aimed at minimising the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Working on ERC-funded research into how microbial communities optimise their virulence traits and mediate drug-resistance, our team identified a need for a low cost photometry device capable of high-throughput quantification of microbial phenotypes such as microbial growth rates and metabolic efficiencies; microbial dose responses and susceptibility to antibiotics; antibiotic interactions datasets; microbial individuality and heterogeneity data and population mean gene expression profiles for fluorescently labeled genes. There are multiple positive consequences of having these capabilities at low cost: we can create high-throughput data pipelines for microbiology research, particularly for evolutionary studies or phenotypic screens; we can improve the dissemination of high-quality phenotypic data analysis algorithms (such as synergy tests for antibiotics) and so provide standardisation for those phenotypic assays; schools can benefit from the low-costs laboratory hardware and bring data analysis for microbiology into their mathematics, biology or computer science teaching; our lightweight devices with small footprints can be used to access geographically hard-to-reach areas where drug resistance phenotyping could be conducted using either battery or solar power. We are, therefore, now in the process of creating two prototypes that can perform these functions and we are seeking funding to finalise their design and field test the devices in three different settings: a partner research laboratory studying microbial evolution, a hospital research laboratory studying antimicrobial resistance and finally schools in a top-10 deprived area of the UK that cannot afford biotechnology equipment for teaching science.
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 computer and information sciences data science
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- natural sciences mathematics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
- 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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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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-2018-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.
EX4 4QJ Exeter
United Kingdom
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.