OHAMR Call for proposals 2026

General Information

• Project title: Stromal Mesenchymal Cells for Antibiotic Resistance Therapy (SMART)
• Type: Project looking for partner
• Organisation: University of Galway
• Country: Ireland (IE)
• 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

  A - Animal Health

• Keywords:

  Mesenchymal Stromal Cells; Secretome; Extracellular Vesicles; Cell-based Antibacterial Therapy

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

  Our expertise is in the therapeutic application of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in a variety of clinical settings, and includes fundamental research, GMP manufacturing competence and clinical trials. It has been shown in many studies that a major element in the therapeutic mechanism of these cells is their capacity to secrete potent paracrine factors which include, among many components, antibacterial peptides and proteins. It is also clearly established that MSCs act as immunomodulators with a capacity to alter the host immune response to infection. Our aim is to exploit MSCs and their secretome (including extracellular vesicles) as a strategy in combatting bacterial infections and as a useful approach to address antimicrobial resistance. Our consortium has abundant expertise in MSCs and we are seeking a partner with expertise in clinical microbiology and human or animal infectious diseases, specifically antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. This partner would provide insight into important target bacterial species and have access to relevant strains and provide critical epidemiological insight and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.

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

  The project design involves an assessment of MSCs from several tissue sources as well as those derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Cells, conditioned media and EVs will be tested for antibacterial activity against a selected species in combination with antibiotics. The outcome will be a validated protocol ready for translation to a GMP platform as well as deep insight into the molecular mechanisms of MSC-based antibacterial activity. The ambition is to devise a new treatment modality for at least one bacterial disease.

Frank Barry

• Organisation: University of Galway
• Position: Professor
• E-mail: frank.barry@universityofgalway.ie
• Phone: +353879927982
• Web: www.universityofgalway.ie/remedi/who-we-are/principalinvestigators/proffrankbarry/