Dear All:
EU’s IMI (Innovative Medicine Initiative) has initiated a new accelerator program for AMR-focused products! I added the links in the last newsletter … now it’s time for the details. (And separately please also note that there are 6 new meetings in the future meetings list … look closely … it is impossible to keep up!)
This new IMI programme complements and augments New Drugs for Bad Bugs (ND4BB), the previous IMI programme. As background for those new to it, IMI funds public-private partnerships between EFPIA & associated partners and European academic groups, SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises), and other eligible entities. EFPIA partners provide in-kind or cash contributions that are matched by cash funding from IMI to the other partners.
The goal of the AMR Accelerator is to provide one operational structure fostering a wide-ranging series of public-private partnership projects that will progress a pipeline of potential medicines and address some scientific challenges. The scope of the AMR accelerator is broad and tackles priority pathogens, including specific actions for Gram-negative bacteria, tuberculosis, and non-TB mycobacteria. Projects can encompass activities from testing of initial concepts up to completion of Phase 1 studies, and can include prophylaxis or treatment, antibiotics, or otherwise. Most of the current call focuses on partnership management and progression of compounds.
The programme is divided into 3 pillars:
- Pillar A, or Capability-Building Network, will be a consortium to coordinate the whole programme and to carry out research to strengthen the scientific basis in the AMR field by addressing pre-competitive challenges, with an initial focus on the use of animal models of infection and on sharing lessons learned from clinical trials.
- Pillar B, or Tuberculosis Drug Development Network, will be a consortium to accelerate the discovery of new drugs to treat TB and to collaboratively progress a portfolio of compounds contributed by EFPIA members and three associated partners (TBDA, BMGF, and University of Dundee).
- Pillar C, or Portfolio-Building Networks, will be a series of smaller partnerships, each with a single EFPIA partner and with a goal of accelerating the development of compounds for Gram-negative bacteria, tuberculosis, or non-TB mycobacteria.
The total amount of funding available from the IMI is approximately €145m, matching a €185m commitment from EFPIA and associated partners.
Pillars A and B will proceed through a two-stage call: Applicants must assemble as a consortium and submit a letter of intent that will be evaluated by IMI. One consortium will be selected for each pillar in the first stage. In a second stage, each consortium will interact with EFPIA and its associated partners to submit a full proposal.
Pillar C proceeds through a single-stage call: Applicants interact directly with a specific EFPIA partner to submit a full proposal.
Submissions are due on 24 Oct 2019. Further information can be found on the IMI website (see links below my signature), including recordings of informative webinars.
All best wishes, –jr
John H. Rex, MD | Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd. | Expert-in-Residence, Wellcome Trust. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnRex_NewAbx. See past newsletters and subscribe for the future: https://13.43.35.2/blog/
General notes of interest for the AMR community
- Novo’s REPAIR Impact fund will re-open for proposals during the window 4 Sep – 11 Oct. Watch for further news here.
- [NEW] IMI AMR Accelerator programme Pillar A within IMI Call 15: Capability-building network to manage the whole accelerator and strengthen AMR science. This is a two-stage call, with letter of intent from applicants expected on 24 Oct 2018.
- [NEW] IMI AMR Accelerator programme Pillar B: Tuberculosis drug development network within IMI Call 15: Tuberculosis drug development network to collaboratively progress TB compounds and validate new tools for TB drug development. This is a two-stage call, with letter of intent from applicants expected on 24 Oct 2018.
- [NEW] IMI Call 16 (Pillar C): A series of individual programs where a single EFPIA partner works with a consortium to progress compounds for for TB, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, and Gram-negatives. This is a one-stage call, with full proposals from the individual EFPIA member and applicant consortia expected on 24 Oct 2018.
Upcoming meetings of interest to the AMR community:
- 21-22 Aug 2018 (FDA White Oak Campus, Silver Spring, MD): workshop entitled “Development of Non-Traditional Therapies for Bacterial Infections”. Meeting notice is here.
- 21-22 Aug 2018 (Rockville, MD): NIAID-NINDS-DTRA workshop entitled “Infectious Disease in The CNS and Therapeutic Strategies to Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier”
- 21-23 Aug 2018 (Cardiff, UK): BSAC Standardized Susceptibility Testing Residential Workshop. Register here.
- 26-29 Aug 2018 (Atlanta, GA): CDC’s International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID). Register here.
- [Don’t miss this one!] 4-7 Sep 2018 ESCMID-ASM Conference (#3) on Drug Development for AMR (Lisbon, Portugal). Full program is now posted.
- 17 Sep 2018 (Washington): NIAID workshop entitled “Science and Regulation of Live Microbiome-Based Products Used to Prevent, Treat, or Cure Diseases in Humans.” More details and registration are here.
- 24-28 Sep 2018 (Big Sky, Montana): MSG-ERC (Mycoses Study Group) Biennal meeting
- [NEW] 28 Sep 2018 (New York City): New York Academy of Sciences workshop entitled “Minimizing the Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance from Food Animal Production”
- 3-7 Oct 2018 (San Francisco): ID Week
- 6-14 Oct 2018 International Course on Antibiotics and Resistance(ICARe, Les Pensières, Annecy, France)
- [NEW] 23 Oct 2018 (New York City): New York Academy of Sciences workshop entitled “New Therapeutic Strategies to Combat Antibacterial Resistance“
- 26 Oct 2018 (London): EMA information day for SMEs: “Regulatory toolbox for medicines and combined devices developers”. Here is the current agenda. Webcast will be available. More details from sme@ema.europa.eu.
- [NEW] 29-30 Oct 2018 (Washington: BARDA Industry Days, a 2-day conference on countermeasure development for the US Government
- 7-9 Nov 2018 (Seville, Spain): Better Methods for Clinical Studies in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology: A Hands-on Workshop
- [NEW] 13 Nov 2018 (London): All-Parties Parliamentary Working Group on AMR meeting (advance notice, no online details as yet)
- [NEW] 16 Nov 2018 (Berlin): Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition is organizing a conference on life sciences and innovation. No online details as yet.
- 29-30 Nov 2018 (Birmingham, UK): BSAC (British Society Antimicrobial Chemotherapy): Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms Workshop for Researchers.
- [NEW] 14-15 Mar 2019 (Berlin): BEAM– and ND4BB-ENABLE-sponsored Berlin Conference on Novel Antimicrobials and AMR Diagnostics. Details here.
- 21-22 Mar 2019 (Birmingham, UK): BSAC Spring Conference.
