DEFRA/VMD MRes project
RVC, along with a multidisciplinary team, has been awarded a MRes studentship by DEFRA/VMD to work on the " validation of a hollow fibre infection model for dynamic evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy in veterinary pathogens".
The MRes project will validate a novel in vitro bacterial culture model (Hollow Fibre Infection Model). In this model, bovine respiratory pathogens are exposed to changing concentration of antimicrobial drugs, thus simulating a real veterinary patient. The timecourse of bacterial growth/kill, together with the timecourse of drug concentration will allow mathematical PK/PD modelling of antimicrobial pharmacological properties. This will allow determination of the optimal therapeutic dose, while limiting the occurrence of resistance.
The outcome of this study is to demonstrate that the Hollow Fibre Model can address crucial questions in the field of veterinary therapeutics, while reducing animal use. The student will be supported by a multidisciplinary team including clinical pharmacology, mathematical modelling and medical microbiology experts across different institutions (Dr. Ludovic Pelligand / Prof. Andrew Rycroft from the RVC; Dr Joseph Standing: UCL Institute of Child Health; Dr. John Mitchell: Veterinary Medicines Directorate)