An international consortium of interdisciplinary specialists is set to a launch a new European Union (EU) wide research project that will focus on improving the treatment of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a type of respiratory tract infection that causes the tiny air sacs in the lungs (called alveoli) to become inflamed and fill with fluid, making it difficult to breathe. Despite often being preventable, pneumonia is the third leading cause of death worldwide and it especially affects children and the elderly. The new research initiative, called FAIR (Flagellin Aerosol therapy as an Immunomodulatory adjunct to the antibiotic treatment of drug-Resistant bacterial pneumonia), gathers experts from several of Europe’s leading medical and scientific institutions. It will receive a total of €10 million in funding from EU Horizon 2020 grants over five years, beginning in January 2020 until December 2024. The FAIR team aims to investigate therapies that may be used as an alternative to antibiotic treatment for pneumonia in order to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as the World Health Organization estimates that bacterial infections due to AMR will become the leading cause of death worldwide by 2050. The eventual goal of the FAIR team is to develop a first-in-class drug capable of increasing immunity, thus improving the effectiveness of antibiotics in antibiotic-resistant pneumonia. By involving medical associations in close partnership with patient groups, FAIR also hopes to share new knowledge and key outcomes into clinics more swiftly.
For further information: FLAGELLIN AEROSOL THERAPY AS AN IMMUNOMODULATORY ADJUNCT TO THE ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT OF DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA