About
The Problem
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat for humans, animals, and the environment, with the highest mortality and morbidity rates observed in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of deaths due to severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR GNB) in the region is steadily increasing. Yet, due to a lack of microbiological diagnostics in the Global South, critical pathogens often go undetected in patients and access to novel antibiotic treatments remains limited.
Our Approach
The ComBac-Africa project will address this growing crisis by establishing a needs-adapted diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship programme that provides equitable access to novel, often life-saving, antibiotics for targeted treatment. Working in close collaboration with partners in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria, the project aims to strengthen diagnostic capacity, investigate the epidemiology and transmission mechanisms of MDR GNB across humans, animals and the environment within a One Health framework, and develop diagnostic-therapeutic algorithms to optimise treatments.
Over the course of four years, our consortium will provide high-quality microbiological diagnostics to quickly and accurately identify the causes of bloodstream and other severe infections, while also conducting comprehensive surveillance of MDR GNB in human, animal and environmental specimens to deepen our understanding of transmission pathways. Drawing on these insights, partners will work closely together to develop tailored stewardship strategies that strengthen infection prevention and enable early outbreak detection, thereby helping to preserve the effectiveness of new antibiotics. In parallel, clinical tools will be designed to support more accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment of multidrug-resistant infections. A key component of the project will be a clinical trial to evaluate the real-world impact of this integrated approach. In addition, our consortium will focus on ensuring sustainable and affordable access to essential antibiotics across sub-Saharan Africa.
ComBac-Africa is a 48-month project funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking established under the European Unions’ research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe. The consortium is led by Saarland University in Germany and brings together partners from several African and European countries, including Obafemi Awolowo University, the Centre for Malaria and other Tropical Disease Care, and Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi, Ministerio da Saúde Pública, Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire and the Fondation pour un Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire; the GARDP Foundation and GARDP Africa NPC, Instituto Piaget, LINQ management GmbH and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.