November 16, 2009

Netherlands research firm introduces antibiotics programme

Immuno Valley, a consortium of knowledge institutions and private businesses in the Netherlands, has introduced the ALTANT (ALTernatives for ANTibiotics) research programme.

The use of very large amounts of antibiotics in the agricultural sector increases the chance of untreatable disease outbreaks as well as a growing number of zoonotic diseases. Therefore, it is vital that alternative strategies are found to combat infectious bacteriological diseases.

In the ALTANT research programme, scientists will study four different alternatives for the use of antibiotics, including physiotherapy, phage therapy, infection-inhibiting peptides and new types of vaccines.

As soon as these alternatives prove their effectiveness in treating animal diseases, the business partners will begin product development.

Immuno Valley is a cooperative effort between the veterinary and human medical faculties at Utrecht University, the University of Amsterdam, the VU Amsterdam, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment's Centre for Infectious Disease Control, the Central Veterinary Institute, the Gezondheidsdienst voor Dieren (GD) and market parties such as GSK, Pfizer, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and a number of relevant small- and medium-sized businesses.