Projects FP6
Combating antimicrobial drug resistance
The discovery and use of antibiotics has had an enormous impact on our health care system. Nowadays, the treatment and prevention of microbial infections fully depends on the availability of effective antibiotics. In addition to this, advanced surgical procedures like organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy and care of preterm babies heavily relies on effective antibiotics. Unfortunately, the emergence and rise of resistance to the currently available antimicrobial drugs threatens the treatment of both hospital- and community-acquired bacterial infections and endangers many modern medical practices. This situation is further aggravated by a sharp decline in the discovery of new antimicrobial drugs needed to overcome drug resistance. Such developments represent a looming crisis for our health care system.
It is crucial to contain antimicrobial drug resistance (AMDR) and to nourish research aimed at combating it. This research need has been addressed within the EU framework programmes, where AMDR has been given a high priority over the last decade with significant financial support from the Health Directorate of the Directorate General for Research (DG RTD) in the European Commission.
The development and spread of AMDR are amongst the areas that are currently being investigated together with novel evidence based approaches to manage patients with a view of optimizing antibiotic use. In addition, the discovery and development of novel antimicrobial drugs and the identification of their molecular targets are areas that have attracted funding. This is of prime importance since only few antimicrobial agents have been launched during the last 30 to 40 years. Underinvestment in antibiotic research and development by the major pharmaceutical industry has contributed to this problem. The research projects that are supported by the Health Directorate of DG RTD aim to form and support multidisciplinary collaborations, to obtain a critical mass of researchers investigating AMDR within Europe, and to mobilize the European biotech industry.
The project catalogue contains information about AMDR projects funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). It provides an overview of the scientific challenges, the research goals addressed, and the expected outcome of projects. The information presented also shows the involvement and participation of a multitude of SMEs working in close collaboration with the academic institutions. The concerted efforts of the research consortia will most likely result in significant advances in three distinct areas. Firstly, a more appropriate use of currently available antibiotics is aimed for in order for these drugs to remain effective as long as possible. Secondly, an increase of our current knowledge of the biological processes that underlie AMDR will result from several projects that received funding. Within such projects attention is also being paid to the transfer of resistance as well as the biological costs (fitness costs) of resistance. The third area concerns the development of novel antimicrobial drugs that will benefit from research projects that aim to identify compounds capable of inhibiting processes that are essential for bacterial growth, or projects that explore natural resources to obtain new antimicrobials.
Under FP6 the total EC contribution committed to discovery and translational research activities for projects that specifically focus on AMDR or on certain aspects of AMDR is more than € 160 million. In addition, several closely related projects funded by the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO) are also included for a comprehensive overview of the scope of Community funding in this field. However, although vaccination may have a significant impact on reduced use of antibiotics, no vaccine research projects have been included in this compilation.
The research projects in this catalogue are of prime importance since this type of research is essential for a continuation of an effective control of bacterial infections which is required to sustain our current high level of medical care as well as public trust in our health care system.
