Partnerships
Through building partnerships with a range of organisations, PACE is creating a connected community to increase opportunities for collaboration across the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research and development ecosystem.
Enabling technologies and capabilities
We are tackling the barriers to AMR therapeutic and diagnostic development by connecting global innovators with UK national capabilities to help shape and drive projects forward. We are leveraging the expertise of our partners to support those we fund, but also the wider AMR R&D community. We are doing this by facilitating access to enabling technologies and capabilities, as well as convening networks of specialists that can support early-stage innovation.
We regularly assess the AMR ecosystem to identify capabilities that can strengthen delivery of our portfolio projects and address common gaps within data packages. One such cross-cutting collaboration has already been established with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Partnership with UKHSA: supporting early evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activity
Evaluating the activity of antimicrobial candidates against panels of clinically-relevant bacterial isolates and strains is important in preclinical R&D. Ensuring early assessment of activity against contemporary strains is crucial to support decision making and onward progression of antimicrobial programmes.
Our partnership with the UKHSA gives PACE awardees access to clinically relevant bacterial strain panels and delivers crucial susceptibility data for their antimicrobial asset from an experienced team. We are leveraging the UKHSA’s Open Innovation in AMR platform, to help PACE-funded projects evaluate their assets against isolates and reference strains representative of those currently circulating. These panels will be expanded through access to contemporary multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates collected from across the wider UKHSA laboratory network and via international exchange. This will provide important access to additional bacterial strains which are problematic in the clinic. These expanded panels will be made available to the wider AMR community.
Convening Networks
It can be a challenge for innovators to access the technologies, expertise and advice needed to progress their asset. By bringing together different organisations that can support innovators, PACE is helping to build a connected community. We have convened a network of delivery partners to support PACE-funded projects and the wider R&D community.
Accessing a Delivery Partner Network (DPN)
Preclinical R&D depends on a diversity of capabilities spanning assay development, reagent generation, pharmacology, toxicology, ADME, formulation, manufacture, regulatory and commercial strategy. It is important that researchers with novel innovations have ready access to a full breadth of specialist capabilities to give their asset the best chance of successful progression towards the clinic.
PACE has convened the DPN by leveraging the strength and depth of capability in AMR medicines discovery and diagnostic development across UK-based contract research organisations. PACE diagnostic and therapeutic projects will be supported by the expertise and capabilities of this network. PACE will also connect researchers in the wider community with DPN members to facilitate scientific exchange and partnerships, through direct enquiries or via PACE events.
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