The unmet need
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, life-limiting disease affecting over 10,900 people in the UK.
People with CF experience a build-up of thick sticky mucus in the lungs, digestive system and other organs, causing a wide range of challenging symptoms affecting the entire body. In the lungs, bacteria get trapped in thick sticky mucus and are difficult to clear.
Antibiotics are routinely used to manage these infections which can be persistent. Over time and due to resistance, recurrent infections become difficult to treat which subsequently leads to irreversible lung damage.
Antimicrobials are vital to managing acute infections, known as exacerbations, and to help suppress or manage long-term chronic infections. Without these treatments, lung function and overall health, quality of life and life span of people living with CF are dramatically altered.
The discovery and development of new antimicrobials to treat infections associated with CF are, undoubtedly, an urgent unmet need.
The CF AMR Syndicate has been set up to accelerate the translation of CF antimicrobials to the clinic to bring new and effective treatment options to people with CF.
Our research agenda has been informed by extensive efforts to understand the research landscape and the needs of the CF infection research community. We have developed the agenda through a cross-sector collaborative approach, which has involved close working with people with CF.
To accelerate CF antimicrobial drug discovery & development, we are…
Creating resources for CF antimicrobial discovery and development.
The UK CF Infection Biorepository enables access to high-quality samples and data, including CF-relevant strains and isolates.
The patient-focussed Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for CF-related infections provide guidance in CF antimicrobial discovery and development to innovators in industry and academia.
Building a CF AMR network to facilitate collaboration and enable knowledge exchange.
Nurturing and supporting promising CF antimicrobial projects through dedicated support at Medicines Discovery Catapult, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc.
Our History
2019
In 2019, Medicines Discovery Catapult joined forces with Cystic Fibrosis Trust to form the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Syndicate.
2020
Involved people with CF in all its activities to ensure their needs and priorities are at the heart of all Syndicate research efforts.
Developed a strong understanding of the critical challenges and opportunities in CF antimicrobial drug discovery.
Established strong links and engaged widely with the international CF infection research community in academia and industry.
Created resources to support the acceleration of CF antimicrobial discovery and development efforts.
2021
Medicines Discovery Catapult and We Share Ventures collaborate in novel funding partnership
2023
Announced the Collaborative Discovery Programme (CDP) funding call. A £3 million programme (provided by LifeArc) supporting six early-stage drug discovery projects aligned with the unmet needs identified in our Therapeutic Target Product Profiles (TPP) for CF lung infections.
“People living with CF are particularly vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance. New antimicrobials that target infections caused by bugs commonly associated with lung infections in CF are urgently needed. We are delighted to announce this funding call aimed at stimulating new research and development into treatments with the potential to benefit people with CF.”
Dr Paula Sommer, Head of Research at Cystic Fibrosis TrustContact CF AMR Syndicate
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