Tackling AMR - new ways of working
- 1. Tackling AMR – new ways of working Ghada Zoubiane Programme Manager Infections Medical Research Council
- 2. MRC | Medical Research Council • Established 1913 • Funded by UK taxpayers • One of seven research councils Dedicated to improving human health through the best scientific research. MRC: Leading & Partnering Research
- 3. MRC | Medical Research Council • Encourage and support high-quality research with the aim of improving human health • Produce skilled researchers • Advance and disseminate knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness in the UK and worldwide • Promote dialogue with the public about medical research MRC Mission
- 4. Boards and Overview Groups Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board Strategy Board Population and Systems Medicine Board Infections and Immunity Board Neurosciences and Mental Health Board Public Health and Aging Global Health Capacity, Skills and Infrastructure Clinical Research Support, Ethics and Methodology Industry Liaison Translational programmes Training programmes
- 5. MRC Remit and Partners • MRC: basic research to early clinical trials • Underpinning and aetiological • Prevention • Detection and diagnosis • Treatment development & evaluation • Phase 1 & 2 trials • Other funders/partners • Department of Health / National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) • Other Research Councils • Medical Charities • Industry • Innovate UK Basic research Discovery Preclinical Early Clinical Late Clinical HTA MRC Medical Charities Innovate UK NIHR EME BBSRC & EPSRC
- 6. MRC’s Translational Research Funding Continued commitment to basic research Basic research Prototype discovery & design Pre-clinical development Early clinical trials Late clinical trials Biomedical Catalyst: DPFS MRC/NIHR Methodology Research Programme BMC: RMRC Translational Research Support Health Technology Assessment Efficacy, Mechanism and Evaluation Programme MRC Lead NIHR Lead Health Technology Assessment Programme BMC: Confidence in Concept Innovate UK Medical Charities BBSRC & EPSRC
- 7. • Confidence in Concept The aim is to accelerate the transition from discovery science to translational research i.e. to get projects to the point where they are well placed to seek funding for development (e.g. through BMC: DPFS) • Institutional awards of up to £1.2m over 24 months • Awards are intended to support multiple projects covering preliminary work or feasibility studies; projects decided by university • Projects should be tightly defined, typically £50-100k in cost and lasting 6-12months. • Proximity to Discovery • Institutional awards of up to £250k • Promotion of academic-industry interactions • Supports ‘people exchange’ partnerships between academia and industry, to enhance skills, knowledge and understanding. Confidence in Concept and Proximity to Discovery
- 8. Biomedical Catalyst: Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme • ~£32m/year, rolling deadline every four months • Projects must be goal oriented and milestone-based • Projects are not considered as isolated entities – they must sit on a translational pathway. In remit: • Development and pre-clinical testing of novel therapeutic entities, devices and diagnostics through to early-phase clinical studies (P1 to P2a) Out of remit: • Discovery science including mechanistic studies and biomarker identification (MRC research boards) • Technology development where not aligned to a medical/clinical developmental plan (likely BBSRC or EPSRC remit) • Phase 2b and 3 clinical trials & trials of non-novel agent-disease combinations (NIHR).
- 9. AMR: A Complex Problem Davies & Davies. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2010 Sep; 74(3): 417–433.
- 10. UK spend on AMR (2007-2013) £163m £56m £16.8m £16.6m £0.49m £21.7mTherapeutics Diagnostics Surveillance Transmission Environment Interventions Total funding: £275m Specifically on ABR Underpinning Alternatives Optimisation Lead compounds Kelly et.al, LID December 2015
- 11. What is needed? • Collaborative working • Coordination of key disciplines Multi/inter/trans – disciplinary research • Ensuring integration with human/animal healthcare • Ensuring capacity building – supporting the next generation of AMR researchers
- 12. AMR Funders Forum (AMRFF) • Made up of representatives from the research councils, governmental bodies and charities • Led and managed by the MRC • Strategically overview the UK AMR research base with an understanding of its output, skill base, resources and impact • Has a common vision for AMR research and its implementation • Will add value to existing programmes • Will coordinate and/or support the initiation of funding and delivery of programmes • Will raise the profile of the AMR research base in the UK and internationally http://www.mrc.ac.uk/research/initiatives/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-resistance-funders-forum/
- 13. AMR Cross-council Initiative • Launched June 2014 • All 7 Research Councils – led by MRC • Bacterial resistance in the first instance • 4 themes to tackle AMR
- 14. Funding models • Themed calls • Kick start with £40m (phase 1) • Networking / ‘Bridging the gap’/ AMR Champion • Mixed funding models – ‘small high risk/high gain’ as well as larger multidisciplinary cross institutions • Scalable approach • Priority for the next 5-10 years
- 15. Steering Group Herman Goossens (Chair) – University of Antwerp, Belgium Alastair Macdonald – Glasgow School of Art Duncan Maskell – University of Cambridge, UK Rachel McKendry – University College London, UK David Payne – GlaxoSmithKline Sharon Peacock – University of Cambridge/Bloomsbury Institute, UK Richard Smith- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK Jared Silverman – VL32 (ex-Cubist) Elizabeth Wellington – Warwick University, UK
- 16. Antimicrobial Resistance – a thematic approach Understanding resistant bacteria Accelerating therapeutic and diagnostic development Understanding real world interactions Behaviour within an beyond the health care setting
- 17. Antimicrobial Resistance – Phase 1 • £40m commitment supporting multidisciplinary research from bench to bed side • One Health approach, links with industry and policy makers, flexible funding model • Ongoing call under “AMR and behaviour change” with DH and VMD/DEFRA • Plans underway to engage with the Design community under ‘AMR in the built in environment’
- 18. • GCRF Challenge-led antibacterial resistance call: interdisciplinary & LMIC/DAC relevant collaborations/partnerships (autumn 2016) in collaboration with DH • Target validation (currently being scoped) What is needed? What funding would show impact? Networks? Small projects? Collaborative? Links with industry at early stage? Antimicrobial Resistance – Phase 2
- 19. • MRC represents the UK & are members of the Steering Group • To date, 19 members (17 EU countries, Canada & Israel), 3 observers (Argentina, Estonia and Japan) – expanding globally • Links with WHO, EC, IMI, EPFIA, TATFAR, NIH • Strategic Research Agenda highlights 6 priority topics – aligns to UK AMR Cross Council Initiative • ‘One Health’ approach • Activities beyond calls that add value to national funding • Transnational calls and workshops Joint Programming initiative on AMR
- 20. Developing International Links – Newton Fund Partnership between UK and emerging knowledge countries UK Funds matched from partner country - ODA • UK-India Joint Centres Partnerships - 2 Centres on AMR The Cambridge-Chennai Centre Partnership on Antimicrobial Resistant Tuberculosis UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) • UK-China Call on AMR (MRC, ESRC, BBSRC) • UK-Thailand Joint Health Research call includes infectious diseases • UK-Vietnam Joint Infectious Disease Research call • UK-Brazil Neglected Infectious Diseases Partnership • UK-Philippines Joint Health Research call includes infectious diseases (AMR) • UK-Indonesia Joint Health Research Call on Infectious diseases More calls currently scoped for 2017
- 21. Contact Dr Ghada Zoubiane – MRC amr@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk www.mrc.ac.uk/amr