UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of

对抗生素的耐药性正在成为我们这个时代最重要的挑战之一。如果我们要避免体面地进入抗生素后时代，存在许多挑战，包括开发新的抗生素、新的诊断方法和改进的递送系统。英国-印度最大限度减少滥用抗生素的先进技术中心(UKICAT-MA)将建立在护理点检测眼部感染和将抗生素定向输送到眼睛内感染部位的材料。UKICAT-MA还将促进这些技术在其他感染性疾病中的使用。该中心涉及谢菲尔德大学的一个多学科团队(聚合物化学、临床和机械微生物学以及LV Prasad眼科)。大部分工作都是基于这样的想法，即某些材料通过改变与细菌结合的状态来对细菌做出反应。然后对这些构象变化进行监测，以提供细菌存在的信号，或者为将抗生素靶向细菌提供基础，同时减少对周围组织的影响。UKICAT-MA将开发这些智能材料来生产隐形眼镜，这些隐形眼镜可以提供细菌感染的比色指示，以及用于局部向受感染的眼组织输送治疗药物的系统。该中心涉及基础科学活动，旨在了解具有约束力的相互作用，这些相互作用是这些材料、材料开发和制造战略发展的关键方面，一直到临床试验。英国和印度之间的密切合作将促进这一雄心勃勃的计划，每个合作伙伴都将带来重要的专业知识，以有效和快速地将这些技术进步到临床上。UKICAT-MA还将寻求与新的合作伙伴合作：工业、临床和科学领域，拥有眼睛以外的感染方面的专业知识。为了促进这些进一步的研究，我们将在印度和英国举办一系列研讨会。

Resistance to antibiotics is becoming one of the most important challenges of our age. A number of challenges exist if we are to avoid decent into a post-antibiotic age, including development of: new antibiotics; new diagnostics and improved delivery systems. The UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) will establish materials for both detection, at the point-of-care, of ocular infections and the targeted delivery of antibiotics to infected sites in the eye. UKICAT-MA will also promote the use of these technologies in other infective diseases. The Centre involves a multidisciplinary team from the University of Sheffield (Polymer Chemistry, Clinical and Mechanistic Microbiology and LV Prasad Ophthalmology). Much of the work is based around the idea that certain materials respond to bacteria by changing state on binding to bacteria. These conformational changes are then either monitored to provide a signal of the presence of the bacteria or they provide a basis for targeting antibiotics to bacteria whilst reducing effects on surrounding tissues. UKICAT-MA will develop these smart materials to produce contact lenses that give colourimetric indications of bacterial infections and systems for local delivery of therapeutics to infected ocular tissues. The Centre involves basic science activities, which are aimed at understanding the binding interactions that are key aspects of these materials, materials development and development of manufacturing strategies through to clinical trials. Close collaborative working between the UK and India will facilitate this ambitious programme and each partner brings important expertise to progress these technologies efficiently and quickly to the clinic. UKICAT-MA will also look to collaborate with new partners: industrial, clinical and scientific with expertise of infections other than in eyes. To facilitate these further researches we will run a series of workshops in both India and the UK.