Public-private research partnerships
bioMérieux is involved in multidisciplinary research with academic centers and the international healthcare community.
For more than 15 years, bioMérieux and the Hospices Civils de Lyon (France) have been collaborating through an exceptional public-private research partnership. Two joint research laboratories within the Edouard Herriot and Lyon-Sud Hospitals in Lyon, France, are committed to performing research close to patients – combining medical expertise, academic research and diagnostic innovation in a truly original way.
The research program known as REALISM (REAnimation Low Immune Status Markers) was launched in October 2016. Led by BIOASTER (French Technology Innovation Institute in MicrobiologyStudy of microorganisms. bioMérieux uses culture-based microbiology methods for the growth of bacteria from biological fluids, food and pharmaceutical samples. The bacteria are subsequently identified and their susceptibility to antibiotics tested in certain cases. More), bioMérieux, the College of Industrial Physics and Chemistry of the City of Paris (ESCPI), GSK, Lyon Civil Hospitals (HCL) and Sanofi, the program aims to identify and validate new promising biomarkers to improve the management of patients with a high risk of sepsis. The program also aims to develop predictive tests to enable personalized diagnostic and treatment strategies to prevent patients from developing sepsis. Personalizing patient management will reduce the risks of infectious complications and increase the patients’ chances of survival. This will also contribute to the fight against antimicrobial resistance: fewer infections will lead to less antibiotic prescriptions. The project was completed in 2018 and a first interpretation of the study results took place in 2019.
Within the framework of projects financed by the European Commission and led by IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative), bioMérieux is a partner of the COMBACTE-CDI project (COMbatting BACTerial resistance in Europe), dedicated to Clostridiodes difficile infections (CDI), which are among the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections. Launched in November 2017 for a 3-year period, this initiative aims to better understand the epidemiology and clinical impact of CDI in order to improve patient outcomes.
Together with the University of Antwerp and the Wellcome Trust, bioMérieux is coordinating the VALUE-Dx* project launched in April 2019 for a 4-year period. VALUE-Dx aims to assess and quantify the medical, economic, and public health value of diagnostics for optimizing use of antibiotics and combatting AMR.
* This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 820755. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA and bioMérieux SA, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Accelerate Diagnostics S.L., Abbott Laboratories, Bio-Rad Laboratories, BD Switzerland Sàrl, and The Wellcome Trust Limited.
bioMérieux is also involved in the following European Consortiums.
ITN
(Innovative Training Networks)
Rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools play a key role in differentiating viral from bacterial infections, determining the optimal antibiotic therapy and ultimately the effective clinical management of patients with infectious diseases. As part of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation Framework Programme, the “New Diagnostics for Infectious DiseasesNouveaux diagnostics pour les maladies infectieuses
(http://www.nd4id.eu/) More” project offers students of different nationalities the opportunity to work in research labs to develop novel POC assays, targeting the most important and urgent clinical needs. bioMérieux is participating in this project by regularly taking on research students in its R&D facilities.
Better identify the cause of acute fever in children
bioMérieux is currently involved in two research partnerships to accelerate the identification of bacterial infections in children.
PERFORMPersonalized Risk assessment in febrile illness to Optimise Real-life Management across the European Union More: rapid identification of bacterial infections in children
Personalized risk assessment for improved management of febrile children across Europe aims to address the problem of identifying bacterial infection and thus to reduce antibiotic misuse and AMR by developing better tests to distinguish bacterial from viral infection. The PERFORMPersonalized Risk assessment in febrile illness to Optimise Real-life Management across the European Union More consortium includes 18 world renowned organizations, from 10 different countries, among which bioMérieux is the unique industrial partner. The PERFORMPersonalized Risk assessment in febrile illness to Optimise Real-life Management across the European Union More grant is one of the largest awarded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Health program in 2016 (€18 million) and aims, within a five-year period (2016-2021), to bring novel new diagnostics into clinical use and improve management of children presenting with high fever on arrival at a hospital or clinic. In 2020, following on from the PERFORMPersonalized Risk assessment in febrile illness to Optimise Real-life Management across the European Union More project, the new DIAMONDS project has been awarded 22.5 million for the next five years and a rapid test to diagnose severe illnesses, using personalized gene signatures, is being developed by scientists at Imperial College London.
The ANTOINEBIOMARKERS TO DIFFERENTIATE BACTERIAL FROM VIRAL INFECTIONS More project, which emerged as a result of collaboration between bioMérieux and the Hospices Civils de Lyon (France) aims to better identify the cause of acute fever in children. The large majority of infants under the age of 3 admitted to a Pediatric Emergency Department with fever of unknown origin (FUO) have a viral infection. Only 10 – 25% will have an infection of bacterial origin. Overestimation of bacterial infections results in broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, which can contribute to the emergence of resistant bacteria. Research into specific biomarkers of these two types of infection in children will enable the differentiation of severe bacterial infections from viral infections and help to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. At the end of 2019, the inclusion of a large cohort of nearly 1,000 children under 3 years of age hospitalized at HCL and other hospitals in France was finalized.
Like the ANTOINEBIOMARKERS TO DIFFERENTIATE BACTERIAL FROM VIRAL INFECTIONS More research program conducted with the HCL, the ANTONIO program carried out with the Infants Institute of São Paulo concerns the validation of biomarkers in immunocompetent and immunocompromised febrile children for the diagnosis of severe bacterial infections. More than 200 patients were included in 2019. This project aims to validate biomarkers allowing to exclude a bacterial infection and to guide the prescription of antibiotics.
Dr Marine Butin’s point of view
Dr. Marine Butin, MD, PhD
Neonatal Resuscitation Department – Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant – Hospices Civils de Lyon (France)
International Center for Infectiology Research
Staphylococcal pathogenesis team
INSERM U1111 – CNRS UMR5308 – ENS Lyon – Université de Lyon (France)
“In neonatal resuscitation departments, infections are a common occurrence, owing to the extreme vulnerability of the patients and the high number of invasive procedures (catheters, intubation, etc.) which increase the risk of infection. The use of antibiotics is therefore frequent and necessary, yet at times, they may be misused and overused. The unnecessary administration of antibiotics may have severe consequences for the patient and for the microbial ecology of the department.
Aside from the obvious toxicity of certain antibiotics and the effects on the patient’s intestinal flora, the use of antibiotics can also contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Recently, in neonatal resuscitation departments, we have had occurrences of infections caused by multiresistant bacteria, for which we have only a limited number of treatment options, and the use of last resort antibiotics has not been extensively studied in newborns.
The prudent use of antibiotics is therefore a major challenge in our day-to-day practices.”