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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/V026623/1
Title: Beyond Antibiotics
Principal Investigator: Stride, Professor E
Other Investigators:
McHale, Professor A Powrie, Professor Dame F Coussios, Professor C
Rohn, Professor J Carugo, Dr D Cleveland, Professor RO
Callan, Professor JF Bharat, Dr T Carlisle, Dr R C
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Dr S Shrivastava
Project Partners:
Boston Scientific Corporation GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) Karl Storz
National Biofilms Innovation Centre Norbrook Laboratories Ltd Oxford NanoImaging
Philips Public Health England Smith & Nephew plc (UK)
Department: Engineering Science
Organisation: University of Oxford
Scheme: Programme Grants
Starts: 01 October 2021 Ends: 30 September 2027 Value (£): 6,552,650
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Acoustics Biomedical sciences
Biophysics Drug Formulation & Delivery
Microbiology Tools for the biosciences
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
27 Jan 2021 Healthcare Technologies Programme Grant Interviews Jan 2021 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
The 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) identifies it as: "one of the greatest threats we face as a global community." The evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, our over-use of antibiotics and failure to develop new methods for tackling infection could leave us without viable treatments for even the most trivial infections within the next 3 decades. There have been significant efforts by the WHO and national agencies to raise awareness of AMR and reduce the use of antibiotics, but there is still an urgent need to intensify these efforts and, crucially, to develop alternatives. The aim of the programme is to address this need.

The programme will consist of 4 interlinked work packages focussed on the core research objectives:

(1) The development of human organoid models for studying interactions between bacteria and the tissue microenvironment and larger scale interactions with the host microbiome.

(2) New microscopy methods to complement the organoid models and to facilitate rapid characterisation of bacteria for improved diagnosis.

(3) New antimicrobial therapeutics and targeted delivery techniques to improve the use of existing antibiotics and provide viable alternatives.

(4) "Drug-free" methods for treating infections and promoting immune function thereby further reducing the use of antibiotics and providing methods suitable for large scale environmental/industrial use.

These will be supported by 2 parallel translational activities to enable development of the translational pathway and wider engagement with clinical and industrial stakeholders, policy-makers and the public.

Key Findings
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Organisation Website: http://www.ox.ac.uk