EUROPEAN COMMISSION
MEMO
Brussels, 15 November 2013
EU launches new research projects to combat antimicrobial resistance
Why is research on antimicrobial resistance important?
Antimicrobial agents – such as antibiotics – have dramatically reduced the number of
deaths from infectious diseases during the 70 years since their introduction. However,
through overuse and misuse, many micro-organisms have become resistant to them. This
growing "antimicrobial resistance" (AMR) is estimated to cause each year some 25 000
deaths and over €1.5 billion in healthcare expenses and productivity losses in Europe
alone.
The situation is serious because antimicrobials have become an essential tool for modern
medicine. Many surgical operations could not be performed without them. Yet, industrial
investment in the development of new antibiotics has declined dramatically, and only a
few products that could be used to combat resistant infections are in the late-stage of
development.
A co-ordinated and large-scale European research effort is therefore required to bring new
effective antibiotics or alternative treatments to patients, and to re-engage industry to
carry out research and develop new products in this area. Scientific research and
innovation are also necessary to inform policy-making on AMR and to develop new
diagnostic tools, such as quick tests to identify the causes of infections and the need for
antimicrobial treatment. Finally, research on vaccines and other preventive measures offer
the prospect of blocking the spread of infections thereby reducing the need for
antimicrobials.
What are the 15 new EU research projects on antimicrobial
resistance about?
Seven of the new projects aim to develop novel antibiotics, vaccines or alternative
treatments for drug-resistant microbial infections. Other projects set out to identify better
methods to use currently available antibiotics, study antibiotic resistance within the food
chain, or utilise novel nano technology for the delivery of antimicrobial drugs. As well as
doing much-needed research in this area, the projects will also boost the European
economy by directly supporting the work of 44 innovative small and medium-sized
enterprises. A full list of the projects is in a table at the end of this MEMO.
How much has the EU devoted to research in this field?
During the last 16 years, the European Union has invested some €800 million in research
and innovation to fight AMR, including the 15 new research projects announced today
which the EU supports with more than €90 million.
MEMO/13/996
The rising awareness of the AMR threat is reflected in a six fold increase in the amount
being invested, from some €84 million during the EU's 1998-2002 research programme to
about €522 million for the 2007-13 period.
Most of the EU investment is used to support collaborative projects i.e. international
research and innovation teams involving the most capable players from across Europe and
abroad.
In addition, some €100 million of EU funding has been invested alongside contributions
from the pharmaceutical industry within the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) publicprivate partnership, notably through the 'New drugs 4 bad bugs' programme, under which
five AMR-related projects have been launched since June 2012.
Has EU AMR-related research had any successes?
EU-funded research has helped to identify promising chemical compounds for future
antibiotics; to develop new diagnostic tests; to better understand how microbes and
humans interact; to assess antibiotic prescription practices across Europe; and to carry
out clinical trials to optimise the use of current antibiotics.
For example, Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche announced plans this month to resume
the development of antimicrobial drugs while taking over an experimental drug developed
through the EU-funded project NABATIVI by Polyphor AG, a European SME. In other
words, EU research investment triggered the development of a novel class of antimicrobial
drugs and helped attract a big pharmaceutial company to start again developing
antibiotics.
EU-funded researchers in the SONO project have also found a way of using sound waves
to apply antibacterial coatings on hospital robes and sheets. The concept has already been
proven (and patented) on a lab scale. Once commercialised, the technology should
significantly decrease the incidence of potentially life threatening hospital acquired
infections.
ERC grantee Craig MacLean at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom is studying
ways to slow down the rate of bacterial evolution by recycling drugs rather than just
prescribing new ones. In his research, he is combining molecular biology, genetics and
biochemistry to examine the ecological and genetic causes of antibiotic resistance.
Under IMI’s New Drugs 4 Bad Bugs programme, the COMBACTE project has established a
Europe-wide network of 293 clinical sites with associated laboratories in 34 countries. The
project is working to improve clinical trial design, and in 2014 it will start conducting
clinical trials with innovative anti-infectious agents developed by the pharmaceutical
companies in the project.
2
LIST OF NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Project acronym, full
name & link to full
project summary
including contact
persons of all partners
BELLEROPHON
ComBinig cELLular and
humoral immunE
RespOnses as a vaccine
strategy against
staPHhylOcoccus aureus
pathogeN
CD-VAX
Oral Vaccination against
Clostridium difficile
Infection
Countries of
participants
Project coordinator & main
contact
UK
(coordinator)
,
David Wyllie,
University of
Oxford
david.wyllie@ndm.ox.
ac.uk
€ 5.498.829
Simon Cutting,
Royal Holloway
and Bedford New
College
s.cutting@rhul.ac.uk
€ 5.808.756,8
Barry Plant,
University College
Cork
plantb@mac.com
€ 5.999.748
Jaap Wagenaar,
Utrecht University,
The Netherlands
j.wagenaar@uu.nl
€8.999.809
Thomas Lion,
Labdia
Labordiagnostik
GmbH
thomas.lion@ccri.at
€ 5.844.418
e-mail address
EU contribution
for the project
FR, CH, DE
UK
(coordinator)
,
FR, BE, DE
CF MATTERS
Cystic Fibrosis
Microbiome-determined
Antibiotic Therapy Trial in
Exacerbations: Results
Stratified
IE
(coordinator)
,
EFFORT
NL
(Coordinator)
,
Ecology from Farm to Fork
Of microbial drug
Resistance and
Transmission
UK, FR, US,
DE, BE
DE, ES, FR,
IT, BE, DK,
PL, CH, BG,
FUNGITECT
Optimized Diagnostics for
Improved Treatment
Stratification in Invasive
Fungal Diseases
AT
(coordinator)
,
FORMAMP
Innovative
Nanoformulation of
Antimicrobial Peptides to
Treat Bacterial Infectious
Diseases
NABARSI
New AntiBacterials with
Inhibitory activity on
Aminoacyl-tRNA
Synthetases
SE
(coordinator)
, DE, NL, FR
(2), DK
Dr Helena Bysell,
SP SVERIGES
TEKNISKA
FORSKNINGSINSTI
TUT AB, Sweden
helena.bysell@sp.se
€7.945.494
NL
(coordinator)
,
John Hays,
Erasmus
universitair
medisch centrum
Rotterdam
j.hays@erasmusmc.n
l
€ 4.102.157,5
NAREB
Nanotherapeutics for
antibiotic resistant
emerging bacterial
pathogens
FR
(coordinator)
, NL, UK , ES
, PL, DE, BE,
NO, IT
Prof Brigitte
Gicquel, INSTITUT
Pasteur, France
bgicquel@pasteur.fr
€9.674.158
DE, BA, CH
UK, LV, ES
3
NeoStrep
Development of Group B
Streptococcal vaccine to
alleviate emerging
antibiotic resistance
through elimination of
current prophylactic
antibiotic strategies in
GBS prevention
NOFUN
Novel antifungals to treat
resistant organisms
SE
(coordinator)
,
Thomas
Areschoug, Lunds
Universitet
thomas.areschoug@
med.lu.se
€ 5.999.172
Michael Bromley,
University of
Manchester
mike.bromley@manc
hester.ac.uk
€ 4.550.286
Bernard Joris,
Université de Liege
bjoris@ulg.ac.be
€ 5.988.941
Patrick Jault,
Ministère de la
Défence
patrick.jault@sante.d
efense.gouv.fr
€ 3.838.422
DK, IE
UK
(coordinator)
,
DE, ES, SE
MON4STRAT
Therapeutic Beta-Lactam
Monitoring for Stratified
Treatment of hospitalacquired pneumonia,
improved dose-dependent
efficacy, decreased
treatment duration, and
prevention of emergence
of resistance
PHAGOBURN
Evaluation of phage
therapy for the treatment
of Escherichia coli and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
burn wound infections
(Phase I / II clinical trial)
PneumoNP
Nanotherapeutics to treat
antibiotic resistant Gramnegative bacteria caused
pneumonia Infections
BE
(coordinator)
,
ES
(coordinator)
, DK, NL, DE,
IT, FR
Ms. Aiertza
Mentxu,
FUNDACION
CIDETEC, Spain
maiertza@cidetec.es
€5.682.351
TAILORED-Treatment
Development of tailored
antimicrobial treatment
regimens and novel hostpathogen insights for
respiratory tract infections
and sepsis
NL
(coordinator)
,
j.hays@erasmusmc.n
l
€ 5.975.383
IL, SE, ES
John Hays,
Erasmus
universitair
medisch centrum
Rotterdam
THINPAD
Targeting the HIV-1
Nucleocapsid Protein to
fight Antiretroviral Drug
Resistance
IT
(coordinator)
,
Maurizio Botta,
Universita' degli
Studi di Siena
botta@unisi.it
€ 5.691.950
FR, ES, US,
EE
FR
(coordinator)
,
BE, CH
ES, FR
4