Many bacteria that cause infectious diseases develop resistance to not only the primary antibiotic treatments available in the clinic but also to drugs of last resort which often require long treatment periods and come with significant side effects. At the same time many promising lead compounds with high activity and wide therapeutic windows have failed to progress to clinical trials due to poor solubility, protein absorption or other difficulties in formulation (e.g. low drugability). LeadtoTreat proposes a new solution to these challenges by introduction of a platform for future infection treatment enabling targeted delivery of novel lead compounds with low drugability as well as synergistic combinations of antibiotics and potentiators in a nano-formulation. A novel dual targeting approach, with both direct targeting toward the pathogenic bacteria as well as to areas of inflammation will be employed. This platform technology will be demonstrated by converting a highly active, but insoluble and protein binding, novel compound into targeted nano-formulations for treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections with proven in vivo and in vitro safety. Furthermore, LeadtoTreat aims to identify novel synergistic combinations of antibiotics and potentiators and convert these into highly active targeted nano-formulations for treatment of MRSA infections. LeadToTreat will have significant impact on the future treatment of microbial infections, by demonstrating a pathway to co-delivery of synergistic combination of existing antibiotics as well a path way to revitalize the huge library of abandoned low-drugability lead compounds. From an innovation perspective, it is expected to also develop broadly applicable targeting tools (for MRSA, and roadmap for other indications). The project will be managed by SINTEF (Norway) involving Narodowy Instytut Lekow (National Medicine Institute, NMI, Poland) and NanoTag Biotechnologies GmbH (NTB, Germany).

SURE-AMR aims to improve the R&I capacities of IMBG to strengthen its scientific reputation, attractiveness and networking channels, while promoting scientific excellence in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) under an One Health Approach (OHA). It aims to raise the level of excellence of IMBG to EU standards and to raise its profile nationally and at EU level through a sustainable framework for scientific and institutional capacity building, international collaboration and stakeholder engagement. The project will strengthen R&I and knowledge transfer through the development of targeted R&I study cases, training for IMBG researchers and IMBG staff, increased collaboration between academia, health sector and stakeholders with a general sustainable framework for research, international networking and a specific international mobility programme. Strengthening the experience of IMBG research staff, including a new generation of young scientists, will be achieved through the cooperation with EU partners with established scientific excellence in the topics and proven experience in economic impact and awareness raising and integration into national policies. At the scientific level, it is expected to enlarge the community of competitive and renowned researchers at IMBG in AMR, stronger and better connected to a core of international and relevant R&I systems, supported by skilled R&I managers with their international networks. At the social level, it is expected to improve the public health and environmental quality of Ukraine (and EU) through an OHA, while developing broader social systems appropriate to the Ukrainian context to face better prevention, analysis and mitigation of AMR. At the economic level, the project will contribute to the development of innovative protocols, methodologies and innovative solutions for the health and ecological sector and the profitability of regional companies through new process improvements, innovation support and job creation.