Project description
Advanced theranostic materials to diagnose and treat wound infections
Hard-to-heal wounds are a challenge for both patients and doctors. The goal of treatment is to protect from bacterial infections and accelerate healing. Unfortunately, these infections are not rare. Current coatings rely on the slow and passive diffusion of antimicrobials. This means that they may not be sufficiently concentrated to eradicate the infection. To address this challenge, the EU-funded STIMULUS project will create materials that rapidly signal when an infection is present (diagnostics) and trigger the release of antimicrobials to treat the infection (therapeutics). The project will integrate responsive materials into prototype wound dressings. Moreover, it will train early-stage researchers to lead research on theranostic medical devices.
Objective
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are bacterial infections obtained as a result of clinical treatment e.g. following medical intervention. HAIs are a problem of tremendous proportion as more than 4 million EC citizens get infected annually. The ECDC estimates 147,000 HAI-related deaths in Europe each year, a large part stemming from wound infections. These alarming facts motivate the urgent need to develop novel medical devices, in particular wound dressings, which rapidly signal and prevent or eradicate invasive bacterial colonization following a stimulus. Current antimicrobial coatings rely on slow, passive diffusion of antimicrobials, hence the antimicrobial may not be sufficiently concentrated to eradicate the infection; such low concentration zones promote evolution of resistance. To tackle these challenges in healthcare in light of an increasingly aging population and unprecedented antibiotic resistance levels, there is an urgent need for dedicated research leaders in industry and academia. These scientists of the future still will need primary training in, e.g. chemistry or microbiology, but they will have to operate at the interface between disciplines. Future materials chemists will need to perform microbiology experiments and to appreciate the engineering required to translate a lab invention to a production prototype. They have to understand the societal, business and regulatory environment around new medical device development. The research focus of STIMULUS is on wound infections. The objectives are: 1) Diagnostic: To create materials that clearly and rapidly signal when infection is present; 2) Therapeutic: triggered release of antimicrobials to treat the infection; 3) Translational and theranostic: integration of responsive materials into prototype wound dressings. Integrated with this research, we will create a lasting and comprehensive training programme for ESRs, making them suitable for leading research on theranostic medical devices.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.1. - Fostering new skills by means of excellent initial training of researchers
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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.
MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
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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) H2020-MSCA-ITN-2020
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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.
1180 Wien
Austria
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.