OHAMR Call for proposals 2026

General Information

• Type: Partner looking for project
• Organisation: Egas Moniz School of Health & Science
• Country: Portugal (PT)
• Career stage: Other.

Research area

• Scientific area(s) of the call:
  1. Topic 1: Identify and develop new combination treatments using existing or innovative antimicrobials or antimicrobial with adjunctive treatments to extend drug efficacy and combat resistance.
• One Health Setting:

  H - Human Health

  A - Animal Health
  E - Environment

• Keywords:

  Oral microbiology Animal microbiology Biofilm-associated Infections Translational Research Antimicrobial resistance.

• Brief description of your expertise / expertise you are looking for:

  Egas Moniz School of Health & Science (EM) is a Portuguese private, non-profit higher education institution located in the Lisbon metropolitan area, with strong international recognition. Research and innovation are driven by CiiEM, a publicly funded research unit adopting a One Health approach to address societal challenges aligned with international agendas. CiiEM hosts 10 research groups and several interdisciplinary laboratories, including the Microbial Communities and Antimicrobial Resistance Lab (MicroResistLab), and is supported by advanced clinical infrastructures, namely human health clinics, a university dental clinic and a veterinary hospital. These facilities enable translational research, clinical validation and strong engagement with the community and external partners. The Microbiology and Infectious Diseases research group at CiiEM (https://ciiem.egasmoniz.edu.pt/research/research-groups/microbiology-and-infectious-diseases) aims to advance the understanding, monitoring and control of microbial infections affecting human health. Comprising an interdisciplinary team of more than 25 members, the group integrates human, animal, food and environmental microbiology and leverages close interaction with the community and Egas Moniz’s extensive clinical activity. Its research focuses on high-impact pathogens, particularly antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. MicroResistLab, led by Lucinda Bessa, has strong expertise in oral microbiology, biofilms, microbial dysbiosis, antimicrobial resistance, resistome profiling and shotgun metagenomics, supporting the development and evaluation of innovative treatment strategies and approaches to improve treatment effectiveness and adherence. The team also integrates host anti-inflammatory biomarker analysis and research on environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance, including microplastics and aquaculture systems, fully aligned with a One Health perspective.

• Brief description of your project / the project you would like to join:

  We are looking for a One Health–oriented project that aims to explore the synergistic impact of combined antimicrobial compounds and adjunctive anti-biofilm strategies to extend drug efficacy and combat antimicrobial resistance. The project may start at an exploratory or proof-of-concept stage and progress towards robust pre-clinical validation, particularly in the context of oral pathogens and veterinary infections. While antimicrobial resistance affects both planktonic and biofilm-associated bacteria, it is markedly exacerbated in biofilm-forming communities, including those developing on environmental substrates such as microplastics. Our expertise supports the evaluation of strategies targeting resistance mechanisms, as well as biofilm-associated tolerance, persistence and dissemination of resistance. Leveraging Egas Moniz’s integrated clinical infrastructures, human health clinics, a university dental clinic and a veterinary hospital, we can support translational assessment of combination therapies within a comprehensive One Health framework linking environmental, animal and human health.

Lucinda Bessa

• Organisation: Egas Moniz School of Health & Science
• Position: Senior Resesacher
• E-mail: lbessa@egasmoniz.edu.pt
• Web: ciiem.egasmoniz.edu.pt/