Global AMR Challenge Receives a £5m Boost to Drive Diagnostics Innovation

PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) has today launched its second funding round with up to £5 million available to support cutting-edge diagnostic projects. This funding is part of a broader £30 million investment to address the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

PACE is one of the UK’s largest public-private initiatives targeting early-stage antimicrobial drug and diagnostic discovery. The pioneering partnership between LifeArc, Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) and Innovate UK is driving the development of new tests and treatments to tackle deadly AMR, which is predicted to kill 39.1 million people globally between 2025 and 2050.

Innovative diagnostics are urgently needed. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of infections will improve patient outcomes and experiences, and drive significant economic benefits. While some diagnostic tests are available, most antibiotics are prescribed without a definitive diagnosis, especially in primary care settings, where test results are often too slow to help healthcare professionals make timely treatment decisions.

Many antibiotics in preclinical development are seeking to overcome resistance by being more targeted. However, to ensure these antibiotics are used effectively, rapid diagnostics are essential to help clinicians identify the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. Research and innovation are needed to improve the precision, speed, and usability of diagnostic tools, ensuring they are fit for the specific healthcare setting in which they will be deployed.

PACE’s latest funding round will support a diverse portfolio of early-stage diagnostic projects, ranging from technical feasibility studies to early prototypes, across a range of technologies.

In this call for expressions of interest, PACE will support innovators to advance a diverse pipeline of early-stage in vitro diagnostics for use in primary care and hospital settings. These diagnostics will target bacterial infections with the highest disease burden and unmet patient need, with the potential to reduce inappropriate prescriptions, provide faster results to indicate which antibiotic should be used, and/or catalyse the move to personalised, narrow-spectrum treatments.

Up to £5 million in funding is available for up to eight projects, with awards of up to £300,000 for technical feasibility studies and up to £1 million for product development projects. Eligible projects are expected to last up to two years and AMR innovators worldwide are encouraged to apply.

PACE is particularly interested in proposals covering diagnostic tests for urinary tract, respiratory tract and bloodstream infections, and sepsis, as they represent the highest antibiotic consumption and burden from AMR. Suggested solutions should aim to have appropriate characteristics for the setting for which they are intended. Proposals providing outcomes tailored to resource-limited settings, including in low- and middle- income countries are also highly encouraged.

Successful applicants will receive more than funding; PACE offers a collaborative approach to project development and delivery. Awardees will receive strategic support to align their innovations to the right developmental and translational pathways. This includes guidance on strengthening data packages, defining target product profiles, and facilitating engagement with regulators and other key stakeholders.

By bringing together and connecting UK national capability in AMR with innovators globally, PACE will empower awardees to develop their early-stage ideas and set them on the path toward further investment, clinical adoption, and patient impact.

Dr Beverley Isherwood, PACE Programme Director, said: “We are moving to an era when therapeutics will be more selective and potentially targeted to particular pathogens, which means diagnostic tools have an increasingly important role. Through this funding, PACE will provide a vital boost to innovators who are working to tackle the global challenge of AMR. By accelerating the development of much-needed tools to help with the early diagnosis and management of infections, we will help save lives.” 

How to Apply

Visit https://paceamr.org.uk/funding/ to submit your application and register for the Diagnostic Innovations Funding Round informational webinar on Wednesday, 2 October 2024.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 GMT on Wednesday, 30 October 2024.