Projects
UNITE4TB
An international public-private collaboration working together to accelerate the development of new Tuberculosis (TB) drug regimens.
UNITE4TB, a consortium of 30 partners from 13 countries, is working to accelerate the development of new Tuberculosis (TB) drug regimens. The 7-year, €185 million project is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), and is the largest public-private collaboration on clinical TB drug development in the history of the EU.
30
partners
13
countries
7
years
€185
million
About UNITE4TB
Worldwide, Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent. With 30 partners from 13 countries, UNITE4TB aims to set a new standard for anti-TB regimen development. It will upgrade current clinical trial methodology and enhance the efficiency with which new regimens are delivered.
UNITE4TB is a public-private partnership with representation from academic institutions, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), public organisations, and pharmaceutical companies. Over the next 7 years, the consortium will be active in approximately 40 trial sites on four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa and South America), with the goal of delivering novel phase 2 clinical trials that will accelerate the development of new TB drugs and regimens. Achieving this goal will facilitate fulfilment of one of the main unmet needs in the TB field: better-tolerated drug regimens of shorter duration that can be deployed to tackle tuberculosis across various drug-resistance patterns and co-morbidities.
Visit the UNITE4TB website for more information and for a full overview of all project partners.
Lygature's role in UNITE4TB
Lygature played an instrumental role in setting up the project and governance structure and drafting the consortium and grant agreements. Lygature supports UNITE4TB with overall program management and utilizes its management capabilities to ensure the project delivers optimal results. Our key contributions include:
Partnership management. Lygature plays a pivotal role in amalgamating the partnership, creating one coherent research consortium. As an independent enabler, Lygature focuses entirely on making the collaboration work for the benefit of all partners.
Project monitoring. Lygature handles the day-to-day operations of the project, including drafting and assessing project activity reports and structuring actions. Lygature also provides the project with an ICT environment for file sharing and publication management.
Communication and dissemination. Lygature is in charge of developing a communication and dissemination strategy targeting key stakeholder groups. Lygature is also responsible for coordinating and managing the set-up of generic communication tools, including the project visual identity, website, and social media platforms. Lygature pro-actively works with the communication professionals of all consortium partners to align communication efforts and share best practices.
Lygature is proud to act as the independent facilitator of the UNITE4TB consortium, adding to our mission of forging partnerships that make an impactful contribution to global health challenges.
Lygature together with
Radboudumc, London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford (OUCRU), Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum, Lancaster University, University College London, TASK, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Helmholtz Zentrum München, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, Critical Path Institute, European Lung Foundation, Instituto de Saude Publica da Universidade do Porto, University of Liverpool, Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement, University of Hamburg, University of California San Francisco, TB Alliance, FIND, University of Milano, University St Andrews, Uppsala University, European Respiratory Society, TBnet, GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, Otsuka Novel Products GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, LMU University Hospital Munich
Acknowledgement of support
This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101007873. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung e. V. (DZIF), and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). EFPIA/AP contribute to 50% of funding, whereas the contribution of DZIF and the LMU University Hospital Munich has been granted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Project updates
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Meaningful engagement of the community in TB Research & Development: Best practice initiative from UNITE4TB
During this year’s Union World Conference on Lung Health, the UNITE4TB Community Advisory Group (CAG) took part in the Community Connect session, held virtually on Wednesday 9 November. The Group explained how to engage the community in tuberculosis (TB) research and shared what they have achieved so far in UNITE4TB.
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Recap of the 4th UNITE4TB webinar: Debate on rolling out of new drugs without diagnostic capacity
In October, UNITE4TB held the fourth and last webinar of its 2022 series. The session took a deep dive into the pros and cons of rolling out new drugs and treatment regimens for tuberculosis (TB) without diagnostic capacity.
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Publication: Machine Learning and Pharmacometrics for Prediction of Pharmacokinetic Data: Differences, Similarities and Challenges Illustrated with Rifampicin
The UNITE4TB Consortium is employing advanced pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic modeling techniques and artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) techniques in its quest to select, test and deliver novel combination treatment regimens for drug-resistant and -sensitive TB.
In a recent publication, authored by members of UNITE4TB, the value of Pharmacometrics (PM) and ML for drug development are outlined. Using rifampicin, a widely used antibiotic, the authors explored the ability of different ML algorithms to predict drug PK.