STARS- Scientific Training in Antimicrobial Research Strategies

A European Initial Training Network Funded under the Marie Curie Actions of the Seventh Framework Programme.

The STARS project is a Marie Curie Training International Network for Early Stage Researchers who wish to undertake post-graduate training in antimicrobial research and development. The problem this project is seeking to address is the urgent need for the development of antimicrobials and anti-infectives to redress the balance between drug resistance and the available therapeutic options.
There are 2 sub-programmes on emerging drug targets, one found in a group of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria and the other concerning the malaria parasite.
 

Reports of hospital ward closures and multi-drug resistance continue to make headline news. Even our last resort drugs for multi-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) seem increasing fallible.  The development of drug resistance in other infectious organisms is also a growing problem. In this project we also work on the discovery and development of new drugs to combat malaria. The malaria parasite causes 350–500 million new infectious cases each year and over one million deaths annually is becoming more resistant to current drug therapy. This poses one of the greatest threats to malaria control across the globe and has been linked to recent increases in malaria morbidity and mortality.

After more than 50 years, natural sources of antibiotics (and anti-infectives) seem to have been exhausted and it is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver new leads based on chemical modification of the known antibiotic scaffolds. In spite of these troubles the antibiotic market continues to grow, one of the key drivers being the growing number of immunocompromised individuals and transplant recipients. Consequently drug research has moved to novel targets and new methodologies. For the companies now taking on this challenge the major question is how best to bring new drugs to the market faster and at reduced cost. People that can harness new tools and communicate across disciplines are increasingly in demand and those with multidisciplinary skills are at a premium.

The STARS project collaborates with the Marie-Curie Initial Training Network TRAIN-ASAP