UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Resistance to antibiotics is becoming one of the most important challenges of our age. A number of challenges exist if we are to avoid decent into a post-antibiotic age, including development of: new antibiotics; new diagnostics and improved delivery systems. The UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) will establish materials for both detection, at the point-of-care, of ocular infections and the targeted delivery of antibiotics to infected sites in the eye. UKICAT-MA will also promote the use of these technologies in other infective diseases. The Centre involves a multidisciplinary team from the University of Sheffield (Polymer Chemistry, Clinical and Mechanistic Microbiology and LV Prasad Ophthalmology). Much of the work is based around the idea that certain materials respond to bacteria by changing state on binding to bacteria. These conformational changes are then either monitored to provide a signal of the presence of the bacteria or they provide a basis for targeting antibiotics to bacteria whilst reducing effects on surrounding tissues. UKICAT-MA will develop these smart materials to produce contact lenses that give colourimetric indications of bacterial infections and systems for local delivery of therapeutics to infected ocular tissues. The Centre involves basic science activities, which are aimed at understanding the binding interactions that are key aspects of these materials, materials development and development of manufacturing strategies through to clinical trials. Close collaborative working between the UK and India will facilitate this ambitious programme and each partner brings important expertise to progress these technologies efficiently and quickly to the clinic. UKICAT-MA will also look to collaborate with new partners: industrial, clinical and scientific with expertise of infections other than in eyes. To facilitate these further researches we will run a series of workshops in both India and the UK.
Organisations
Publications
Banerjee SL
(2019)
A muscle mimetic polyelectrolyte-nanoclay organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogel: its self-healing, shape-memory and actuation properties.
in Journal of materials chemistry. B
Cox-Nowak K
(2017)
Poly( n -butyl methacrylate) with primary amine end groups for supporting cell adhesion and proliferation of renal epithelial cells
in International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials
Doroshenko N
(2018)
Antibiotic functionalised polymers reduce bacterial biofilm and bioburden in a simulated infection of the cornea.
in Biomaterials science
Mckenzie A
(2017)
Core (Polystyrene)-Shell [Poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)] Particles.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Shepherd J
(2019)
Highly branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) functionalized with an inducer molecule suppresses quorum sensing in Chromobacterium violaceum.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Swift T
(2018)
Segmental Mobility Studies of Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) Interactions with Gold Nanoparticles and Its Use as a Thermally Driven Trapping System.
in Macromolecular rapid communications
Swift T
(2021)
Semi-interpenetrating Polyurethane Network Foams Containing Highly Branched Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) with Vancomycin Functionality.
in ACS applied bio materials
Teratanatorn P
(2017)
Binding of Bacteria to Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Modified with Vancomycin: Comparison of Behavior of Linear and Highly Branched Polymers.
in Biomacromolecules
| Description | The key findings in this work that are now influencing translation are: 1. That is possible to produce binding responsive polymer microcapsules for targeted drug delivery; paper in preparation. 2. That inclussion of a dye, nile red, in these polymers and careful control of branched architecture provides polymers that produce signals related to the presence of bacteria in fluorescence spectra. See Swift et al Acta Biomater 87 197 (2019) 3. That the polymers disrupt biofilms See Doroshenko et al Biomater. Sci. 6 2101 (2018) 4. That polymers containg quorum sensing molecules inhibit qurum sensing see Shepherd et al Chem. Commun. 55 9765 (2019) |
| Exploitation Route | There are a number of aspect that are progressing further. The two most important areas are in further development of a hydrogel device for detecting infection in eyes (with the LV Prasad team) and the use of the polymers to concentrate bacteria from clinical sampes in collaboration with the Clinical Microbiology team at the Airdeale NHS Trust, West Yorkshire, UK. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | The work featuree in an MRC showcase helpd in Sheffield in 2019 and was a central feature of the Bradford contribution to the World Anitbiotics Resistance Day in 2019. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | DOSA - Diagnostics for One Health and User Driven Solutions for AMR |
| Amount | £1,626,049 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/S000208/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2018 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | Research |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 103988 |
| Organisation | Innova UK |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | 2nd MRC/DBT Workshop UK-India Centre for Advanced Technologies-Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of this workshop was to promote interdisciplinary learning and collaborations between UK and India in the area of bacteria and wounds, particularly when bacteria are increasingly antibiotic resistant. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/handle/10454/8770 |
| Description | Anti-micribial resistance symposium: pre symposium show case at ICCAR 2 IIT Kharagpur |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This symposium involved participants from this project and from the DOSA project (ESRC). Early stage researchers from the UK also presented. The 1 day meeting took place prior to an international symposium in India on antimicrobial resistance and showcased new UK-India technologies for combating antimicrobial resistance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | MRC/DBT Workshop UK-India Centre for Advanced Technologies-Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On 14/15th March 2016 we held a MRC/DBT funded workshop on the theme of Materials to Combat Antibiotic Resistance. The workshop was part of a continuing series of events that are part of the work of UK-India Centre for Advanced Technologies-Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA). The following is the collection of presentations and the results of discussions highlighting key themes for future work by this group. Combating antibiotic resistance is perhaps the biggest issue facing the global community in the 21st century and no other area, with the exception perhaps of nuclear conflict, has the capacity to significantly reduce living standards and mortality rates. Key objectives identified by WHO1 in this area among five key aspects, include: Objective 4-to optimize the use of antimicrobial agents Objective 5-new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions Our aims in this series of workshops are to provide an Indo-UK forum for: discussions of our advances in providing technologies to address these objectives; facilitate the interface between UK and Indian clinicians, materials and biological scientists and to identify key areas for new projects. An important aspect of the work in a global context is that by combining the UK and Indian community and clinical experiences we cover most of the scenarios that the global population might expect to encounter |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10454/8622 |
| Description | UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimizing Indiscriminate Use of Antibiotics:"Exploring biology of antibiotic resistance and potential targets for early diagnosis and effective management of infectious diseases" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | During January 15th - 17th, 2017 a group of scientists met, under the auspices of the UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimizing Indiscriminate Use of Antibiotics, to discuss the further developments and potential solutions to antimicrobial resistance. This was the third work shop under this funding stream held in Hyderabad. The presentations and outcomes of the workshop are released here. Key out comes included the need to address improved treatment and detection of TB, delivery of antimicrobial peptides, potential strategies for combating beta-lactam resistance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/handle/10454/12060 |