Project description
Targeting infections at the first contact
As antibiotic resistance grows, once-treatable infections are becoming deadly. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the StraDiVarious project focuses on a critical early step in infection: bacterial adhesion. Surface proteins, called adhesins, allow bacteria to latch onto host cells, an essential step in disease progression. Using tools across molecular biology, infection models, and AI-driven analysis, it explores how these proteins differ between virulent and less harmful strains. By identifying strain-specific traits in key pathogens, the project will pave the way for precision diagnostics and targeted therapies. Through its international training network, StraDiVarious also prepares a new generation of researchers to combat antimicrobial resistance at its root.
Objective
Resistance to antibiotic treatment of bacterial infections is a major threat to human health worldwide, with last-resort antibiotics becoming ineffective. Bacteria like carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa head the WHO global pathogen priority list. New strategies are needed to treat AMR bacteria.
Our DN StraDiVarious proposes targeting a key virulence trait: the initial interaction of bacteria with the host. Adhesion is the first and decisive step in infection, mediated by surface proteins called ‘adhesins’, which interact, either directly or indirectly, with the host cell surface to manipulate the host response. Our hypothesis is that we can distinguish between less virulent and more virulent strains of bacteria based on the fine details of their adhesins. This makes the adhesins interesting targets for both diagnostics and therapeutics.
The StraDiVarious intersectoral network (including large Pharma and SMEs) will train the next generation of researchers in this important area, focusing on the initial interaction. Our targets include the clinically most relevant pathogens from the “ESKAPE” group (eg. A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, E. cloacae and S. aureus). The DCs will use state-of-the-art techniques at different levels: infection (tissue/cell), biochemical interactions (cell/molecule), structure (molecule/atom) and timescale (dynamics). We will integrate this information with large clinical strain data (genomics/ proteomics) and use machine-learning to understand the cause of virulence/non-virulence at the level of individual bacterial strains and protein variants. This information will be used not only to develop next-generation strain-specific rapid diagnostics suitable for point-of-care applications but also for finding potential drug/vaccine targets. Such precision medicine will reduce load on the health-care system, avert the antibiotic crisis, and improve patient quality of life.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine pneumology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- medical and health sciences health sciences personalized medicine
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01
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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.
00014 Helsinki
Finland
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.