anti-Bacterial Innovative Vaccine Training Network.

Project Information

BactiVax

Grant agreement ID: 860325

DOI

10.3030/860325

Project closed

EC signature date 19 August 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 31 March 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 4 009 372,56

EU contribution

€ 4 009 372,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BactiVax (anti-Bacterial Innovative Vaccine Training Network.)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2024-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

BactiVax was created to address the major health issue caused by the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, with a focus on those causing chronic, life-threatening respiratory and systemic infections. The research undertaken by the consortium targets a series of ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter sp.), which are the main cause of hospital-acquired infections globally and are highly resistant to almost all currently used antimicrobials. It also targets Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which remains one of the biggest killers among infectious diseases worldwide. The premise of BactiVax is that vaccination against these pathogens will prevent infections and reduce their spread significantly. A central BactiVax focus is to design vaccines effectively, the project has four key objectives, illustrated through work packages (WP):

1. To identify novel, protective vaccine antigens against target pathogens (WP1).
2. To optimise the host response to the vaccines (WP2).
3. To optimise vaccine delivery (WP3).
4. To lead on vaccine advocacy (WP4).

First and foremost, BactiVax is a research training programme that aims to provide first-class training in vaccinology to the next generation of vaccine researchers and equip them with a broad range of skills for thriving careers within academia or industry. For this, the consortium recruited 15 excellent Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), whose training is complete and includes a blend of research training, industrial secondments and courses to instil essential non-transferrable skills such as creativity, entrepreneurship, communication and management competencies (WP5).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

All of the consortium objectives have been achieved
1. Novel antigens have been identified, cloned , expressed and purified and shown to be protective against several of the ESKAPE pathogens in mouse studies (WP1).
2. State-of-the-art methodologies such as NMR, cryo-EM, molecular modelling, bioinformatics, etc. were successfully employed to study epitope-receptor interaction and identify new adjuvants (WP2).
3. High-throughput methodologies to synthesize and screen peptide libraries have been developed and implemented to identify novel vaccine antigens and adjuvants (WP3).
4. Vaccine advocacy initiatives have been planned and completed at the consortium level and individually by ESRs (WP4). Specifically, the consortium has run three social media information campaigns to mark World Immunisation Week and has produced a video for European Researchers’ Night 2020 (Working together to discover new vaccines, YouTube). ESRs are actively involved in informing the public about immunisation and the importance of vaccine research through multiple initiatives, such as school visits (Public High School of Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Wałbrzych, Poland), public talks (Soapbox Science Munich, Futuro Remoto Naples, European Researchers’ Night - Milan and Naples) and festivals (ESB Science Blast - Dublin, Ireland). The BactiVax Podcast series "Vaccine Facts with BactiVax" was an impactful public science podcast series.
5. Seven consortium-wide training activities were completed (WP5) during the reporting period, with all ESRs in attendance. Additionally, ESRs participated in numerous training sessions relevant to their projects and careers held locally in host institutions.
6. 55 peer-reviewed Gold Access Open publications have been published in scientific journals.
7. 4 Novel adjuvants have been licenced to Croda.
8. IP protection has been sought to enable their translation and commercialization of BactiVax; for example, a patent has been filed in UCD on P. aeruginosa vaccine candidates, plus other colleagues in the BactiVax network have successfully submitted another 3, making it for 4 in total.

The consortium was effectively managed by the Coordinator and six committees: Supervisory Board, Recruitment & Training, Communication & Public Engagement, Research Coordination, Exploitation, and ESR Committee. Reporting activities are also on track, with 26 deliverables submitted to the European Commission.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected impact of BactiVax is to tackle the societal challenge caused by the emergence of AMR human pathogens and bring significant impact on dealing especially with pathogens causing chronic, life-threatening respiratory and systemic infections. This is based on the hypothesis that vaccination against AMR pathogens such as ESKAPE and Mtb prevents AMR-related infections and reduces the spread of these pathogens.
Individual projects are focusing on identifying a series of novel vaccine antigens (WP1) that will effectively prevent AMR infections, contributing to reduce the spread of drug resistance. BactiVax is also focusing on developing therapeutic vaccines, that can help clearing existing chronic infections, such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Through WP2, the project aims to increase knowledge on the immune response and exploit it to develop improved adjuvants (Toll-Like Receptors agonists are currently under development in the consortium). These adjuvants are designed to have specific activity on innate immunity mechanisms, improved efficacy and reduced site effects. New methodologies are also being developed to study molecular recognition processes and host responses.

For vaccine delivery, improved nanoparticle systems optimised for mucosal delivery were investigated and developed (WP3). The comprehensive training in vaccinology and the non-academic sectoral training, provided by BactiVax, informed and enriched ESRs’ career development plans and equipped them with an excellent mix of research, innovation and transferable skills. All recruited researchers were hosted in cutting-edge laboratories and enrolled in structured PhD training programmes, which include transferrable skills and a Careers Research Framework. To complement local training, consortium-wide training activities were also completed according to overall planning, with workshops on open data, FAIR principles, data management, creativity, innovation, and intellectual property, among others.

The impact of BactiVax extends over the participating institutions. BactiVax attracted many applications from high-calibre international candidates and led to a team of exceptional ESRs. The cross-national and cross-sectorial collaborations positively impacted the reputation and growth of individual labs and strengthened the profile of host organisations. The workshops and consortium symposiums organised allowed ESRs to interact with senior researchers and members of the participating groups, enhancing the diversity of their experiences, finding futher new research insights and opening the door for future partnerships.

By training excellent ESRs in vaccinology and vaccine development, BactiVax has made a difference and contributed significantly to Europe’s leadership as the major vaccine global research and development hub. The project attracted valuable candidates from across the globe and is facilitating collaborations that strengthen the European research area. Further scientific advances brought by our research will sustain the innovation and development of the European vaccine industry, and the multidisciplinary training of highly skilled graduates will increase vaccine know-how, making you a part of this proud journey.

Progress to date of the anti-Bacterial Innovative Vaccine Training Network (BactiVax) - WP breakdown