"Patient-tailored management of bacterial infections in the age of antimicrobial resistance (PIA)" is a clinical academic group (CAG) linking clinical practice with clinical and basic research, enhancing and accelerating effective prevention, rapid diagnostics and optimal treatment of bacterial infections. CAG-PIA brings together clinicians, clinical researchers and basic scientists from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, The University Hospital of North North Norway (UNN) and Nordland Hospital. CAG-PIA also includes user representatives and collaborates with industry partners and the Innovation hub at UiT to support relevant, innovative and implementable solutions.
Bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represent one of the greatest challenges to modern healthcare. Although AMR remains relatively uncommon in Norway, international travel and human mobility facilitate its rapid spread.
The burden is greatest among vulnerable patients, including infants, older adults, and people with comorbidities or immune suppression. Advances in cancer treatment and an increasing prevalence of conditions such as diabetes have expanded the population at risk of severe and difficult-to-treat infections. Pathogens may persist through biofilm formation, dormancy, and antibiotic tolerance, contributing to treatment failure and chronic disease. AMR also imposes substantial societal costs through prolonged hospital stays, isolation measures, increased healthcare expenditure, and absence from work
Previously, collaboration on infection prevention, diagnostics, and treatment were limited between the clinical environments at the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN)/Nordland Hospital (NLSH) and research groups at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT). CAG-PIA aims to expand and strengthen cross-institutional collaborations in infection management and AMR challenges.
This CAG has three research projects, each with clinically defined work-packages (WPs). The unifying Translational Research accelerator (TRA) will ensure integration of basic research across all three projects and facilitate innovation and clinical implementation in the health services.
The CAG will generate research ideas for grant applications, integrate findings into clinics to improve patient outcomes, incorporate concepts in educational courses for healthcare professionals, and broadly disseminate results to raise awareness of infection management and AMR across society.
CAG-PIA is financed for three years through the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (HN) and the Faculty of Health Sciences at UiT. Additional funding has been obtained from other sources, including the Research Council of Norway (NFR). CAG-PIA will also seek further additional external funding to support its future activities and development.
