Over a million euros for two studies on solutions to antimicrobial resistance
Two consortia led by Leiden researchers have been awarded over one million euros by the Dutch Research Council and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to find solutions to antimicrobial resistance. The funding will go to studies by Nathaniel Martin and Gilles van Wezel.
Antimicrobials (including antibiotics) are of great value to healthcare. They are necessary for treating infections and play an important role in medical procedures such as chemotherapy and organ donation. The increasing resistance to these drugs puts great pressure on our healthcare system. More than a million deaths each year can already are attributable to infections with resistant bacteria.
The Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, businesses and civil society partners are funding research to stimulate the development of new antimicrobial agents and additional therapies against bacterial and fungal infections. In total, 4.5 million euros have been awarded to five projects. The consortia consist of researchers, doctors and partners working at international research institutes, hospitals, private companies, civil society organisations and more.
Research on new antibiotics
Two projects are led by Leiden researchers:
Professor of Biological Chemistry Nathaniel Martin will search for new antibiotics together with researchers from Leiden University, VU Amsterdam and a number of businesses. The will receive over 1.6 million euros. The researchers will aim to identify inhibitors of a key bacterial enzyme known as LspA. Inhibition of LspA is known to be toxic to bacterial cells. Importantly, LspA is not found in humans, making it a promising and potentially safe target for antibiotic discovery.
Project: Targeting LspA: An Essential and Unexploited Lipoprotein Processing Enzyme in Gram-Negative Pathogens (TULIP).
Improving existing drug candidates
The rise of multi-resistant bacteria – bacteria that are resistant to a large number of antibiotics – is often referred to as the silent pandemic. However, a vast amount of ‘chemical space’ is yet to be discovered. This is what Professor of Molecular Biotechnology Gilles van Wezel and his team will be researching. They have been awarded over 1.4 million euros. They aim to use artificial intelligence and advanced analytical methods to discover new (families of) molecules and improve existing drug candidates, as the basis for our future antibiotics. They hope to make these medicines available to all countries, regardless of their economic prosperity and will do so with a strong global network of public and private partners.
Project: Prioritising novel genomic and chemical space via federated learning and preclinical development (PRIORITY).