About the CARTD COBRE

Resistance to antimicrobial therapies is a crisis that threatens clinical practice from primary care to the most advanced medical interventions. Much of what we take for granted in clinical medicine could become too risky, as microorganisms have become increasingly resistant to our newest medications and our antibiotics. Tens of thousands of deaths per year in the United States are directly attributed to antimicrobial resistance, and cause enormous costs to the health care system. In addition to this problem, pharmaceutical companies have largely abandoned antibiotic development programs. As an alternative to large pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and biotech startups can step in and offer novel approaches to drug discovery. 

Phase I

The principal objective of Phase I COBRE application is to build a unique, multidisciplinary center to study mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and develop therapeutic countermeasures. The long-term goal of the Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Therapeutic Discovery (CARTD) at The Miriam Hospital is to develop new therapies for infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens. This goal will be attained through short-term objectives of developing a new generation of junior investigators.

CARTD integrates their work with mentors and established investigators and develops core facilities to enhance research capabilities. To achieve these objectives, the CARTD will complete the following specific aims:

1. Consolidate existing researchers into a dynamic, interactive center of excellence across The Miriam Hospital, and its academic partners in Rhode Island, including Brown University.
2. Foster the research programs and career development of junior investigators in the field of antimicrobial resistance and studies of novel therapeutic approaches.
3. Support new institutional research with pilot project funding.
4. Establish critical infrastructure with new core laboratories to facilitate cutting edge research in antimicrobial resistance and therapeutic discovery, while serving as a unique technical resources to other COBRE research programs, other institutional researchers, and investigators in the region.