AmReSu consortium comprises internationally recognized Excellence Research Centres, namely, LMM, UAntwerp and IdISBa. Their unquestionable scientific excellence in immunity and infection research field, international collaborative networks, installed technical capacity and innovation drive initiatives place them as the best Twinning partners for SU and BFM:
The LMM, UAntwerp has a broad base in medical microbiological research and is well-recognized internationally for its multidisciplinary translational approach to the study of bacterial pathogens. On one hand, we are heavily involved in coordinating surveillance networks and in data collection on global antibiotic use and bacterial resistance, and on the other in utilizing state-of-the-art molecular techniques to study the evolution and transmission dynamics of resistant pathogens under antibiotic pressure both in patients as well as in hospitals and in the community. We have also established a Europe-wide laboratory network (LAB-Net) wherein LMM trains and maintains a high-quality geographically-representative European COMBACTE laboratory surveillance network to support antibacterial drug development. Developing diagnostics for rapid detection of infectious diseases is one of our key research agendas. Finally, our recently established research line on studying clinical relevant biofilms using both lab-based models systems as well as meta(genomic/transcriptomic) approaches has proven to be highly successful both in terms of research output and in attracting industrial collaborators. LMM has accumulated vast experience in coordinated and managing large scientific consortia.UAntwerp has an impressive track record in participation of international projects with few ERC grants, twenty eight collaborative projects and one Marie Curie actions granted in FP7/H2020 and more than >800 publications in peer reviwed journal. Recently, Prof. Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar recently awarded (2019-2025) by Belgian goverment funding METHUSALEM-VAX-IDEA, a recognition of her excellence.
IdISBa (HUSE) Microbiology Departement accounts for more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, most of them in top 25/10 journals which reflects its excellent scientific activity. As well, in last 5 years, the IdISBa (HUSE) Microbiology Departement has obtained competitive national and international funding: 6 national competitive projects and 6 collaborative international projects (USA, Australia, Europe). In addition, it has obtained competitive national funding for human resources as well as funding for the pharmaceutic industry (MSD; Gilead). LMM, UAntwerp and IdISBa institutes will be fundamental to ensure the successful scientific and innovative development of SU, through the pair-wise engagement of its world-wide recognised research group leaders and SU’s research groups, following the scientific strategy outlined in section 1.3.4 centred in three scientific lines and subdivided into several task-forces according to the expertise and common scientific interests of the research groups from the partnering institutions. This strategy relies on raising the existing staff’s research profile as well as the one of SU and BFM themselves. Additionally, the relationship between the twinning institutions will be strengthened via the close collaboration within the twinning groups, thereby contributing to further extend previous successful collaborations. Following pairwise brainstorming, specific synergies were already identified and agreed between the research groups of the partnering organisations.
Semmelweis University (SU) – Coordinator
Semmelweis University (SU) is a public, non-profit educational and research organization. In Hungary and the Central European region Semmelweis University is one of the leading institutions, as well as its international academic rank is remarkable. Semmelweis University, reaching a prestigious position of 102 is the only Hungarian institution on the list of the top 200 most international universities in the world. The list, published by the Times Higher Education is based on the results of the “international outlook” indicator, which takes the international to domestic students and staff ratio and international collaborations into account. In terms of
research achievements and the rank of a publication activity the Semmelweis University is the leading university in the medical field in Hungary and it has a cumulative impact factor of more than 2,000 per year. As the Semmelweis University has many established cooperation in the country, one of the most significant examples of research collaboration is with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, so the Erasmus+ opens the door for the whole research community in Hungary.
With roots back to 1769 and a more than 240 years past the university is one of Hungary’s most famous universities, having 6 faculties with 1,400 professors and researchers. Based on the R&D index it is one of the country’s best universities where 22 R&D groups deal with research and development, more than 100 active research teams publish in internationally recognized and highly ranked journals. At the 25 clinics of the university there is a high level medicine and education, too. Since its establishment the university issued more than 100.000 degrees and currently it is educating 12,000 students. The scientific life is characterised by the numbers of 1.500 publications / year, 1.400 impact factors / year and 35 – 40 Ph.D. dissertations /year. The university is proud of its three Nobel-prize winners, Hungarian doctors having studied at the university.
Semmelweis University’s Faculty of Medicine was founded in 1769, it is Semmelweis University’s oldest and largest faculty. The Faculty provides a standard of education that is fully in line with that of other high quality European medical schools. Its Medicine programme (which results in an M.D. degree) is available in three languages: Hungarian, English and German. In addition to its educational activities, the Faculty is committed to providing the highest level of progressive health care and conducting advanced scientific research within both its classrooms and clinical departments.
The main department from SU attending in the present project proposal is the Insitute of Medical Microbiology. The major fields of our interest are epidemiological and molecular biological investigations of Enterobacteriaceae.
University of Antwerp (UA), LMM – Partner
The University of Antwerp is a young, dynamic and forward-thinking university. It integrates the assets of its historic roots with its ambition to contribute positively to society. The University of Antwerp develops, provides access to and disseminates scientific knowledge through research, teaching and service to society. It carries out these tasks in a spirit of academic freedom and responsibility. The University of
Antwerp conducts creative and innovative scientific research which strives for international excellence. It stimulates both basic and applied research and their valorization. The University of Antwerp offers internationally accredited academic teaching based on scientific research. It aims at the development and integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will prepare its students to take responsibility in society. The University of
Antwerp is active in a global environment. It stimulates its staff and students international orientation. The University of Antwerp is committed to the development of its city and region. The University of Antwerp attaches great importance to its close, historic links with Antwerp University Hospital and Antwerp Management School. It seeks constructive partnerships in the fields of research, teaching and academic service to society. In addition, the University shares its expertise with both public and private partners.
The Laboratory of Medical Microbiology (LMM) has a world reputation and is headed by Prof. Dr. Herman Goossens and Prof. Dr. Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar. LMM was established in 1995 and has developed extensive expertise in molecular diagnostics, antibiotic use and resistance, and in-hospital and primary care research. We are involved and function as the central microbiology laboratory in a number of international projects, providing services of exceptional scientific quality. The LMM is the coordinator of several European projects, such as European Surveillance for Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC), Genomics to Combat Resistance against Antibiotics in Community-acquired LRTI in Europe (GRACE), Translational Research on Antimicrobial resistance and Community-acquired infections in Europe (TRACE), Platform for European Preparedness Against (Re-) emerging Epidemics (PREPARE), and New Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases (ND4ID). The LMM is also the central coordinating laboratory for LAB-Net, the laboratory network within COMBACTE-Net (Combatting Bacterial Resistance in Europe), that is composed of several hundred diagnostic microbiology laboratories in more than 40 European countries, and many specialized research microbiology laboratories. Investigating the impact of antibiotic use on human pathogens and commensal flora of humans and animals has been one of the major research focuses of LMM. Presently we are utilizing state-of-the-art genetic, genomic and microbiome approaches to study antibiotic impact and have been granted funds to set up long-read sequencing. We perform next-gen sequencing for our own research but also have several industrial contracts in place to perform and analyse NGS data. Our other major lines of research focus on biofilms as an increasing number of critical infections and their persistence are being linked to biofilm formation on biomaterials. We investigate microbial interaction in biofilms, both in vitro and in vivo, in device-related infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter infections, and also utilize NGS techniques to understand microbial consortia involved in disease-associated biofilms such as those observed in ventilator-associated pneumonia and otitis media. Further, we study mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. The main focus is on investigating ‘old’ antibiotics that have been reintroduced into clinical practice and whose resistance mechanisms are not yet known such as colistin, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin. Both clinical as well as in vitro passaged strains undergo whole genome sequencing, resistance stability studies and fitness cost assessments to understand emergence of the resistance mechanisms as well as their fate in the community. Another main focus of LMM is improving microbiological diagnosis of infectious diseases through development, evaluation, validation, and optimization of diagnostic tests. LMM is responsible for establishing, training, and maintaining a high-quality geographically-representative European network of diagnostic microbiology laboratories to support clinical trials on antibacterial drug development. LMM is also coordinating a global network of hospitals to study antimicrobial prescribing. These data serve to improve quality of antibiotic prescribing, particularly in Low-and Middle-Income-Countries. Finally, LMM coordinates clinical research initiatives to rapidly respond to threatening pandemics or emerging epidemics in Europe, through novel trial designs such as Adaptive Platform Trials.
Son Espases University Hospital-IdISBa – Partner
The Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa) is composed by the Regional Ministry of Health of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Health
Service of the Balearic Islands (IB-Salut) and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). IdISBa is accredited by the National Health Institute Carlos III which belongs to the Spanish Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities.
The Headquarters of IdISBa are located in an annex building
to the Son Espases University Hospital (HUSE), including over 4.000 m2 of facilities for research and teaching from the premises of HUSE. HUSE is a public hospital located in Palma de Mallorca and belongs to the structure of the IB-Salut, being the primary healthcare service of Mallorca and the reference hospital of the Balearics islands. It serves a population of 1,047,288 inhabitants, of which 320,215 are assigned. It is equipped with a workforce of 4,833 workers and, annually, its professionals attend an average of 504,800 outpatient consultations, 127,300 emergencies and 19,000 surgical interventions. The Faculty of Medicine of the Balearic Islands in situated in HUSE.
IdISBa is a Public Entity with legal capacity and manages the Health International and National Projects in the Balearics Islands, being responsible for the research activities in the Balearics Islands and it is focused in 7 scientific areas which includes 53 research groups with more than 550 researches. Within IdISBa, the Microbiology Department has its own group, named “Antimicrobial Resistance and Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections Reasearch Group”, being the leading group in the Infectious and Immunological Diseases scientific area.
Klinika Za Infektivne Bolesti „Dr. Fran Mihaljevic” (BFM) – Partner
The University Hospital for Infectious Diseases (BFM) is the leading institution for diagnostics and treatment of infectious disease in Croatia and the surrounding region. It is a tertiary
care provider that treats over 7,000 inpatients and 65,000 outpatients per year, serving the catchment area of approx. 1 million (the population of the city of Zagreb and the Zagreb County), but also patients from other regions in Croatia and neighboring countries that are referred to the hospital.
BFM is affiliated with the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine and is a teaching hospital for undergraduate and postgraduate students of medicine, dental medicine and nursing as well as medical doctors specializing in other medical fields – clinical microbiology, epidemiology, internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, etc.
As a leading institution for infectious diseases in Croatia, founded in 1893, BFM also serves as the national reference center for the following areas of expertise: diagnostics and treatment of infectious diseases, viral hepatitis, HIV-infection, urinary tract infections, antibiotic resistance surveillance, tropical and travel medicine and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
BFM is also affiliated with the following professional societies of the Croatian Medical Association Croatian Society for Infectious Diseases, Croatian Society of Clinical Microbiology, Croatian Society for Urogenital and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Croatian Society of Chemotherapy, Croatian Society for Biosafety and Biosecurity, and Croatian Society of Travel, Tropical and Migration Medicine.
There have been many research projects and clinical trials conducted by physicians from the hospital in collaboration with international partners. Special fields of interest in reserach have been infections in the immunocompromised, rational use of antibiotics and chemotherapeutics, new diagnostic methods for rapid etiological diagnosis, nosocomial infection control, etc.
Some of the currently ongoing international projects and collaborations include research in the field of molecular diagnostics, cytomegaloviral vaccine vector concepts, virus immunology and vaccines, preparedness against (re-)emerging epidemics, etc.