Developing new therapies against the most dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ex Harmer  Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing societal issue, contributing to ~5,000,000 deaths in 2019. The highest priority bacteria are the ESKAPE pathogens that account for…

Investigating oxygenated sterols and lipids in tuberculosis (TB) infection: human’s friend and pathogen’s foe?

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ex Borah Slater  Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary “Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a devastating infectious disease causing over one million human deaths every year. We urgently need…

Neonatal Sepsis Detection Automation for Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Woolley  Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Sepsis is a leading cause of death in infants, particularly in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Early detection is crucial for improving recovery chances.…

Enhancing Immunological Control of SARS-CoV-2

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Stanton Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Neutralizing antibodies are key to preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, however the virus can rapidly mutate to avoid these. Furthermore, once infected, neutralizing antibodies cannot…

New antibiotics to kill “Superbugs” by stopping them from dividing

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Serpi Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary While antibiotics have revolutionised the landscape of medicine saving millions of lives, their misuse has also resulted in the rise of “Superbugs”, which are…

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of molecules to tackle invasive fungal infections

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Pertusati Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Fungal infections are a major threat to public health as they are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment. Only four classes of antifungals are available,…

Sweet disposition: combatting bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance with designer proteins that target biofilm matrix carbohydrates

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Parmeggiani Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Microorganisms grow as biofilms on surfaces, from teeth to surgical implants to the lining of lungs. Biofilms are dense cell aggregates embedded in a…

T cell immune modulation during severe bacterial infection

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca McLaren Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary There is no licenced vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus which produces life-threatening bloodstream infections (“bacteraemia”) and has evolved antibiotic-resistant strains. However, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT)…

Systematic Characterisation of Inhibitory Ligands Encoded by Human Cytomegalovirus

Project Code MRCIIAR25Ca Fielding  Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious cause of congenital birth defects and causes severe disease immunosuppressed individuals. Immune cells, such as T-cell and…

Overcoming β-lactamase-mediated antibiotic resistance by combining biomolecular simulation and experiment

Project Code MRCIIAR25Br Van Der Kamp  Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Antibiotic resistance threatens human health. β-lactamases cause resistance to β-lactams, the most widely used antibiotics. Class C β-lactamases are not well understood,…