OHAMR Call for proposals 2026

General Information

• Project title: Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Therapeutic against ESKAPE Pathogens
• Type: Project looking for partner
• Organisation: Galata Innovation
• Country: Turkey (TR)
• Career stage: Other.

Research area

• Scientific area(s) of the call:
  1. Topic 1: Identify and develop new combination treatments using existing or innovative antimicrobials or antimicrobial with adjunctive treatments to extend drug efficacy and combat resistance.
• One Health Setting:

  H - Human Health

• Keywords:

  Antimicrobial Peptides ESKAPE Multi-Drug Resistance Protease-Resistant Peptides Membrane-Targeting Therapeutics

• Brief description of your expertise / expertise you are looking for:

  While our current university consortium covers peptide synthesis, modification, physicochemical characterization and initial toxicity profiling, along with a partner dedicated to membrane permeability kinetics, we are seeking a strategic partner to complete the validation pipeline. Specifically, we are looking for a partners who have: Partner Profile 1: • Access to a comprehensive biobank of WHO-critical priority Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) clinical strains (specifically ESKAPE pathogens). • Ability to conduct advanced antimicrobial susceptibility testing on these diverse isolates. • Capacity to validate the efficacy of the peptide library against clinically relevant resistant pathogens to ensure translational relevance. • Contribution to completing the validation pipeline to ensure the translational success of the novel therapeutics Partner Profile 2: • Infrastructure and expertise to establish in vivo animal infection models. • Capability to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of optimised peptides in living systems. • Contribution to the completion of the validation pipeline, bridging the gap between in vitro results and clinical application and ensuring the translational success of novel therapeutics.

• Brief description of your project / the project you would like to join:

  In response to the urgent global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), our research group has focused on designing and developing bio-inspired antimicrobial peptides. Through extensive screening, we identified a lead candidate, D-TN6, which demonstrates exceptional broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as significant antifungal efficacy. Our unpublished data show high potency against roughly 200 multidrug-resistant clinical isolates, particularly the critical ESKAPE pathogens. Within the OHAMR framework, our goal is to further enhance peptide stability in human blood, extend its biological half-life, and optimize its therapeutic index through rational design and modification. Related articles: • Kocagoz, T., Temur, B. Z., Unubol, N., Elmas, M. A., Kanlidere, Z., Cilingir, S., Acar, D., Boskan, G., Deveci, S. A., Aybakan, E., Yoner, A. O., Uyar, N. Y., Serteser, M., Sahsuvar, S., Erdemgil, Y., Keles, Z. Z. Y., Demirhan, D., Sakalauskaite, S., Daugelavicius, R., . . . Can, O. (2025). Protease-Resistant, Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Peptides with High Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity. Life, 15(2), 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15020242 • Sahsuvar, S., Kocagoz, T., Gok, O., & Can, O. (2023). In vitro efficacy of different PEGylation designs on cathelicidin-like peptide with high antibacterial and antifungal activity. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 11213. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38449-3

Hazal Evecen

• Organisation: Galata Innovation
• Position:
• E-mail: hazal.evecen@galatainnovation.com