The Swedish Research Council invests SEK 25 million in ENABLE-2

ENABLE-2 receives continued funding from the Swedish Research Council, now allocating SEK 25 million to the platform's second year of operations. "We are about to open a second call in order to complement our portfolio with additional projects," says Anders Karlén, Coordinator of ENABLE-2 and Professor at Uppsala University.

(Image removed) Anders Karlén and Diarmaid Hughes, ENABLE-2

ENABLE-2 is a platform with its hub at Uppsala University's Faculty of Pharmacy that provides support for development of a number of promising candidates for antibacterial drugs. With the Swedish Research Council's initial funding for the operation expiring 31 December 2022, the Council recently announced that ENABLE-2 will receive an additional SEK 25 million for the upcoming calendar year.

(Image removed) Anders Karlén, coordinator of ENABLE-2

“I warmly welcome this decision from the Swedish Research Council's. Drug development takes many years, and the fact that our grant have been renewed is an important step in securing the long-term sustainability of ENABLE-2. Today, our platform is in full operation and the programmes we support are progressing quickly. Therefore, around New Years, we will have a second open call for proposals with the aim to, as soon as possible, add new programmes to our portfolio,” says Anders Karlén, Coordinator of ENABLE-2.

The platform's first call in the autumn of 2021 received a positive response from Sweden's universities and biotech companies. In this second round, interest is expected to be just as strong, with the hope of finding a molecule that will lead to the first novel antibiotic class reaching patients since 1984.

“The development of new antibiotics is central in facing the challenges associated with resistant bacteria, and today the needs are so urgent that intensified work in this area is required. We are currently looking into the possibility to include the rest of Europe in our upcoming call, as a larger geographical coverage will increase our chances of extracting the greatest possible value,” says Anders Karlén.

FACTS

  • ENABLE-2 is a national platform that offers project support in the development of antibacterial drugs.
  • ENABLE-2 is coordinated at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University.

LEARN MORE

CONTACT

(Image removed) Anders Karlén, Professor
Faculty of Pharmacy
Anders.Karlen@ilk.uu.se

Text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

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