The DRAIGON consortium has been funded to develop an innovative in vitro diagnostic device (IVD) that integrates whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and AI (artificial intelligence) for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of patients infected with multi-drug resistant (MDR) microorganisms.
Funding Timeline
1st January
2024
31st December
2027
Funding begins
Funding ends
WORLD CHANGING EVENTS
The DRAIGON Consortium includes experts in the application and implementation of genome sequencing technologies (UMCG, Isala, JHU) and AI-powered prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility from genome data (UMCG), clinical microbiologists and medical experts in the area of bloodstream infections (UMCG, JHU) and periprosthetic joint infections (OSS, Isala), a national reference laboratory of a middle-income country (UHSN), microfluidics and electronics engineers experienced in building mobile labs and liquid handling prototypes (Camtech), health economists who are pioneers in health technology assessments of novel diagnostics (HEC), the global leader in the production of anti-infective generics (Sandoz) and experts in R&D management of global health and infectious diseases consortiums (EVI).
Project Partners
Project coordinator:
European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)
Webpage: www.euvaccine.eu
About EVI: Based in Heidelberg, Germany, EVI is a leading European non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP). The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI supports global efforts to develop effective and affordable vaccines against diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. Through constructive collaboration and exchange with academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, policy makers, donors and other product development partnerships, EVI has supported the translation of more than 40 va ccine formulations from pre-clinical to early clinical testing.
EVI recognises the power of partnerships and engages with partners worldwide to harness the best knowledge and expertise from leaders in the field of vaccine R&D. EVI supports and coordinates research into individual vaccine candidates, works across Europe to harmonise processes and protocols for vaccine development, and to build capacity, and EVI supports the strengthening of capacity for vaccine Research and Development (R&D) in low- and middle-income countries. EVI has been a partner is many successful Horizon 2020 and EDCTP applications and has worked well with many of the partners in the consortium in the past. EVI (founded originally as the European Malaria Vaccine Initiative) has a particularly strong record in management of Consortiums in global health and infectious diseases and will be the Coordinator of this project.
Project scientific coordinator:
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Webpage: www.umcg.nl
As one of the largest hospitals in the Netherlands and the leading employer in the Northern Netherlands, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) boasts a dedicated team of over 12,000 employees. Together, we are at the forefront of healthcare, research, education, and training, united by a shared vision to shape the future of health.
At the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention (MMBI), we are committed to excellence in diagnostics and research within the realm of viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. Our primary focus is to provide comprehensive microbiological services and uphold the highest standards of hospital hygiene at UMCG.
Partners:
Camtech
Webpage: www.camtech.org
About Camtech: Camtech specializes in delivering advanced point-of-care testing solutions across diverse industries, including the medical and laboratory fields. We develop and commercialize innovative products for biodefense, food safety and clinical diagnostics applications, aiming to disrupt current models of centralized and lab‐based testing with faster, cheaper, point‐of‐need detection.Founded in 2013, Camtech has built significant R&D, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities to support these developments and rapidly address evolving market requirements. Our microfluidics detection technology and lateral flow platforms offer the basis for customization and scalability in delivering high performance testing solutions.
HEALTH-ECORE
Webpage: https://health-ecore.com
Health-Ecore was founded in 2018 with the goal of bringing sustainable impact to health. It leads in areas such as health technology assessment (HTA), medical decision-making, strategy, and pricing. The company impacts health systems worldwide through informed decision-making on sustainable and innovative solutions that advance health for everyone.One of the main areas of expertise is in HTAs for interventions related to infectious diseases, including antimicrobial resistance, diagnostics, and vaccines. Health-Ecore advises the global manufacturers in this area on the economic impact of their products and optimal approaches in bringing the interventions to individuals around the world.
Isala
Webpage: https://www.isala.nl/ Together, We Make Isala Nearly 7,000 healthcare professionals stand ready for our patients at five Isala locations—Zwolle, Meppel, Kampen, Heerde, and Steenwijkerland—day in and day out. We provide care with heart and soul, focusing on recovery.Isala is considered the hospital of choice for general healthcare needs by 640,000 individuals. Beyond primary care, Isala offers top clinical care, including several highly specialized services. Additionally, Isala is officially designated as a trauma center for the Zwolle region and its surrounding areas. We are part of mProve, a collaboration of five leading hospitals committed to innovatively enhancing healthcare.The Laboratory for Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (LMMI) conducts examinations of patient materials for pathogens of infectious diseases. Our diagnostics include bacteriological, virological, mycological, parasitological, sero-immunological, and molecular biological laboratory tests.
JHU
Webpage:About Us | Johns Hopkins University (jhu.edu)
Johns Hopkins University is a private research University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is America’s first research university. The University enrolls more than 24,000 full-time and part-time students in nine academic divisions on four campuses in Baltimore; one in Washington, D.C.; and facilities throughout the Baltimore-Washington region as well as in China and Italy.
OSS
Webpage: https://www.oss.at/languages/english; https://www.oss.at/ueber-uns/the-michael-ogon-labaratory
The Michael Ogon Laboratory for Orthopaedic Research (MOLOR), headed by Jochen G. Hofstaetter, was funded in 2019 and focuses on basic and clinical orthopaedic research. The MOLOR is part of the Orthopaedic Hospital Vienna-Speising, one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in Europe with 280 beds and 17,000 inpatients and 37,000 outpatients per year. The main goal of MOLOR’s research is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms, causes, and effects related to musculoskeletal disorders and to accelerate and improve patients’ treatment. One of the topics of major relevance for MOLOR is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), a devastating clinical complication following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). As an essential tool for research in this field, MOLOR has established a prospective, clinically well-characterised musculoskeletal Biobank of properly consented human biological specimens, including periprosthetic synovial fluid, tissue and PJI-causative microorganisms. In parallel, different clinical and microbiological databases have been developed containing all relevant clinical and microbiological information related to patients diagnosed with PJI. MOLOR is particularly interested in the identification and better characterisation of the PJI microbial spectrum, antibiotic resistance patterns and mechanisms, evaluation of novel PJI biomarkers for better PJI diagnosis, and PJI epidemiology.
Sandoz
Webpage: www.sandoz.com
Sandoz is the global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines, with a growth strategy driven by its Purpose: pioneering access for patients. More than 20,000 people of more than 100 nationalities work together to ensure 800 million patient treatments are provided by Sandoz, generating substantial global healthcare savings and an even larger total social impact. Its leading portfolio of approximately 1,500 products addresses diseases from the common cold to cancer. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Sandoz traces its heritage back to the year 1886. Its history of breakthroughs includes Calcium Sandoz in 1929, the world’s first oral penicillin in 1951, and the first biosimilar in 2006.
UHSN
Webpage: https://www.sushefqetndroqi.gov.al/
The Regional Hospital Centre of Tirana (RHST) “Shefqet Ndroqi” (former University Hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi” (UHSN)), is a public general university health structure that combines diagnostic and medical activity with teaching and research. Located in Tirana suburbs, it was founded in 1945 as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. RHST is nowadays organized into one university service (Pneumology) and other medical units (Thoracic Surgery, General Surgery, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Internal Medicine (serving Nephrology, Gastro-hepatology, Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases, Oncology, and Endocrinology patients), which by the nature of the medical/clinical specialty they treat, have a functional connection with the University of Medicine in Tirana. These units provide both diagnostic and treatment functions. RHST has 213 beds and 443 employees. It is named after the father of Albanian Pneumology, Professor Shefqet Ndroqi (1912-2001).
Coordinated by:
Funded by:
European Commission and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
6.34 million Euros