Proyecto ERA4TB | UC3M

Within ERA4TB project we have two main goals. Firstly, to achieve the creation of six new molecules and that at least a couple of combination therapies reach the clinical phase, making them safe and effective against any kind of tuberculosis. Our second goal is to assure that the network that launched these developments, alongside European and American partners, can carry on over time and can help develop new treatments for antimicrobial resistance. One of our aims is to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis. Drug-resistant tuberculosis appears when standard therapies treating common tuberculosis, which usually consist of combining different drugs to be taken over the span of a few months, when this treatment is interrupted, for whatever reason, such as lack of funds, or a patient’s failure to follow the treatment.

00:54 - Resistance appears, meaning that the antibiotics being used are no longer effective against that bacteria. When a drug-resistant super-bacteria appears we’re forced to search for new molecules, which, combined with the ones we already use, can counter this new super-bacteria. Standard development of a new molecule for therapy, the first stage is its discovery. Once discovered, it undergoes a preclincial trial stage, where we verify that this molecule is effective in real terms, that it is safe and doesn’t have side effects. Then it passes to the clinical stage. This is done on a one-by-one basis. When we need a combination of compounds to counter antimicrobial resistance this process takes more time.

01:47 - The preclinical trial phase of a molecule usually takes about five years. If we require having four-molecule combinations, this means a 20-year wait. Within this project we are going to work simultaneously so that in just five years the four molecules will be ready. This means we’ll have reduced that time by four as well as all the associated costs. We usually associate tuberculosis with an illness afflicting developing countries. Asia, Africa, South America.

02:21 - However, the increase in antimicrobial resistance is rendering drugs ineffective to counter this new type of tuberculosis. This project is a consortium of 31 academical institutions. Among which we find Pasteur Institute, Uppsala University, CNR in Italy, Borstel University, in Germany. We can also find institutions such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, TB Alliance and also small companies that provide specialized technologies. Finally, there are three major multinationals, such as the pharmaceuticals GSK, EVOTEC and JANSSEN.

03:03 - We also have collaborators in the US taking part in the research such as Cornell, Colorado State and John Hopkins. We should highlight that, given this project is coordinated from the Madrid area, specifically at UC3M, as well as other significant partners, such as the multinational GSK, whose research center is headquartered here in Madrid, Madrid Healthcare Service and a consulting SME specialising in European health projects, they all create a focal point, in terms of significant investment and research to the Madrid area. .