The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has added a new Translational Research Collaboration in Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to its portfolio.
Its initial focus will be to highlight areas where the UK has a globally competitive critical mass of work, to provide a unifying or coordinating structure. This includes:
- the coordination of experimental vaccinology and controlled human infection models
- the development and standardisation of infection/sepsis diagnostics
- a network for strategic studies of infection treatment focused on drug resistant disease
As with the other projects, the new Translational Research Collaboration (TRC) in Infection and AMR will create an inclusive network of partners across industry, public bodies, charities, funders, and SMEs. Current collaborators and funders include: Moderna, UKHSA, MHRA, the Wellcome Trust, and UKRI. There are plans to engage more SMEs and international partners.
Professor Marian Knight, NIHR Scientific Director for Infrastructure said: “Antimicrobial resistance is an area which needs urgent research across multi-professional teams working with the public and industry. The NIHR is uniquely positioned to bring together the right people and partnerships to tackle it. This exciting new addition to our TRC network, in a crucial area of research, has the potential to drive the game-changing research we need.”
The new Infection and AMR TRC will create an effective translational research pipeline that will focus on three key questions critical to tackling AMR and improving patient care:
- What new solutions can we develop to prevent and treat infections?
- How can we improve clinical decision-making?
- How can we ensure the right treatment is used at the right time?
The solutions needed to overcome infection and antimicrobial challenges are multi-faceted, requiring collaborative and coordinated experimental infrastructure. For example, developing new vaccines and treatments, enabling rapid diagnostic development, whilst optimising the clinical use of available options.
TRCs are collaborative groups of experts from across the UK formed via NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs). They act as hubs, rallying research communities across the UK. They bring together their relevant experience to tackle translational research challenges in their specific areas of focus.
Engagement will be driven through regular calls, roundtables, and symposiums. The TRC will explore new opportunities and set priorities. It will secure dedicated funding for investigator-led studies and larger collaborative programmes.
The NIHR BRC based at Imperial College London will host this new NIHR TRC. It becomes the seventh on the NIHR’s Translational Research Collaboration portfolio.
Professor Graham Cooke, Chair of the new TRC in Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, said: “We will reinvigorate, and unify, for the first time, the broad expertise in infection and AMR across the experimental medicine and early phase research infrastructure in the UK into a cohesive, dynamic partnership. This will facilitate industry engagement and further collaboration, contributing towards increasing the UK’s capacity and capability in this critical research field.”