Establishment of a Core Translational Imaging Facility for Animal Models of Infection at Nottingham University

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Nottingham University were awarded £824K to establish a Core Translational Imaging Facility for Animal Models of Infection. This is a key area of strategic priority. Infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria pose an enormous worldwide healthcare challenge which is being compounded by the lack of new antibacterial agents, the closure of antibacterial drug discovery programmes in the pharmaceutical industry and the drift of academic expertise away from bacteriology. Thus the need for new antibacterial strategies is escalating and there is an urgent need to identify novel antibacterial targets if new compounds capable of controlling bacterial pathogens are to be discovered. It is therefore essential that we gain in-depth insights into the molecular and cellular lifestyles of bacterial pathogens both in vitro and in vivo. Given the scale of the clinical problem, it is imperative that critical mass is achieved and sustained in this research field and has sufficient capacity to respond to these challenges through basic and translational research and research training programmes. In this context, Nottingham has unique strengths through the co-location of the internationally recognized molecular, cellular and clinical bacteriology research groups of the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation (III) in the new £25 million Centre for Biomolecular Sciences (CBS) and via the affiliated Animal Infection Group at the recently established School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. The infection groups are also closely associated with the recently NIHR-funded Biomedical Research Units in Gastroenterology and Respiratory Medicine which constitute an £8.9 million investment.