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Microbiological fluorescence observatory for antibiotic resistance tracking

Descripción del proyecto

Caracterización microbiana de bajo coste en regiones remotas

Las infecciones bacterianas constituyen un importante problema sanitario, y la aparición de especies resistentes a los antibióticos justifica un diagnóstico precoz. Los métodos actuales de análisis de la sensibilidad a los antibióticos requieren equipos costosos, además de ser lentos y propensos a la contaminación cruzada. El proyecto MuFLOART, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, propone desarrollar un dispositivo de fotometría de bajo coste capaz de cuantificar fenotipos microbianos de forma eficiente. Este dispositivo permitiría estudiar las tasas de crecimiento microbiano, las eficiencias metabólicas y la susceptibilidad a los antibióticos, lo que posibilitaría fenotipar la resistencia a los fármacos en zonas geográficamente remotas. El equipo está desarrollando dos prototipos y buscando financiación para finalizar su diseño y realizar pruebas de campo en laboratorios de investigación y colegios del Reino Unido.

Objetivo

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.

Régimen de financiación

ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant

Institución de acogida

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 149 249,00
Dirección
THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE
EX4 4QJ Exeter
Reino Unido

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Región
South West (England) Devon Devon CC
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 149 249,00

Beneficiarios (1)