Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy (PACE) has recently launched its third funding round, supporting innovative projects that tackle resistant bacterial infections posing the greatest threat to global health.
To stay ahead of the escalating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, bold thinking and transformative innovation is required. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of recently approved bacterial antimicrobial agents show similarities to existing drug classes, meaning their potential is limited as resistance mechanisms to these classes already exist. Without significant action and pipeline diversification, it is expected that by 2050, bacterial AMR will be associated with more than eight million deaths per year.
In its latest funding round, PACE, one of the UK’s largest public-private initiatives targeting early-stage antimicrobial drug and diagnostic development, is seeking truly innovative therapeutic projects that focus on bacterial infections with the highest AMR burden and unmet need as defined by the WHO. These include lower respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. AMR is making these infections increasingly harder to treat, often leading to unresolved or recurrent infections and an increased risk of sepsis, which can be fatal.
Announced at the inaugural Global AMR Innovators’ Conference (GAMRIC) in London, the funding is part of a broader £30 million investment from PACE, a collaboration between Innovate UK, LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult, to accelerate solutions for global AMR challenges. The latest funding round will provide up to £6 million to support up to eight promising early-stage, antibacterial therapeutics and will prioritise those that work in novel ways, target new mechanisms, and have the potential to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Successful applicants will receive a tailored package of funding and wraparound support, including strategic guidance to identify the right progression pathway for their AMR asset as well as access to key resources and sector connections. This will enable early-stage ideas to progress with greater speed and confidence towards onward investment and clinical adoption so that they reach the people who urgently need them. Projects are expected to last up to two years, with a maximum of £1 million available per project. AMR innovators worldwide are encouraged to apply.
Dr Beverley Isherwood, PACE Programme Director, said: “Developing new antimicrobial drugs is hugely complex and challenging. Through PACE, we’re offering vital funding and collaborative support to innovators working to tackle AMR, helping them move promising ideas toward the clinic and to the patients who urgently need them. This latest funding round builds on our existing portfolio and the appetite we saw from the AMR community in our previous funding rounds. It reflects our commitment to support the most innovative global research in AMR, and we’re excited that we can now support even more pioneering projects that have the potential to save lives and protect future generations from drug-resistant infections.”