Pace has launched a £6 million funding round to support innovative solutions tackling the rise of resistant bacterial infections and the global AMR crisis.
As antibiotic resistance (AMR) accelerates worldwide, bacterial infections become increasingly difficult.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that over 80% of recently approved antibiotics are based on existing classes and limit their efficacy as resistance mechanisms already exist.
If not checked, resistant bacterial infections could cause more than 8 million deaths per year by 2050, resulting in an estimated $100 trillion deaths in the global economy.
Pace announces its third funding round
In response, the route to antibiotic clinical effects (PACE) began its third funding, announced at the first Global AMR Innovators Conference (GAMRIC) held in London.
Boasted by a larger £30 million investment, the initiative is one of the UK’s largest public-private collaborations targeting antibacterial research. Partners include Innovate UK, LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult.
This latest round offers up to £6 million to support up to eight groundbreaking projects that deal with the highest AMR-burdened bacterial infections. Each successful applicant can receive up to £1 million over two years.
Commenting on the groundbreaking funding, Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on Antibiotic Resistance, said, “Antibial resistance is not a far-fetched threat. It is here and calls for urgent action.
“Without effective antibiotics, modern medicine we know it will get intense. The routine procedures become dangerous, our economy feels tense and more lives are lost.
“That’s why initiatives like Pace are so important. By strengthening our new antibiotics and diagnostic pipeline, PACE will provide the necessary accuracy tools ahead of this crisis.
“This latest funding is a key investment in translation science and scientists, and its work is essential to protecting health and protecting future generations from drug-resistant infections.”
Targeting the most deadly bacterial infections
Pace prioritizes projects that focus on life-threatening infections, including lower respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.
These conditions can be difficult to treat and often lead to recurrent or unresolved illnesses, increasing the risk of sepsis and potentially fatal complications.
Fundraising programs are particularly looking for treatments that work in new ways, targeting fresh behavioral mechanisms rather than repeating existing approaches.
By supporting innovation early on, Pace aims to diversify its antibiotic pipeline and create long-term resilience to resistant pathogens.
It’s not just about fundraising
Successful applicants are not only receiving financial support. PACE also provides rap support, including expert guidance, strategic planning, and access to sector networks and resources.
This customized approach is designed to help early stage innovations advance more efficiently towards clinical recruitment and future investment.
Dr. Beverley Isherwood, PACE Program Director, added: “The development of new antibiotics is extremely complicated and challenging.
“Through the pace, we provide important funding and support to innovators working to tackle AMR, helping them move promising ideas into clinics and patients in urgent need.
“This reflects our commitment to supporting AMR’s most innovative global research, and is now thrilled to support more pioneering projects that could save lives and protect future generations from drug-resistant infections.”
Promoting AMR innovation to protect the future
AMR innovators around the world are encouraged to apply for this funding round. By fostering new approaches to bacterial infections, initiatives such as PACE will play a key role in protecting the global health of future generations.
With the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, Pace’s latest call to the project emphasizes that the fight against bacterial infections requires urgent and bold innovation and time to act.
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