OHAMR Call for proposals 2026

General Information

• Type: Partner looking for project
• Organisation: Avicenna Bioscience
• Country: Turkey (TR)
• 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

• Keywords:

  Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs); Probiotics; Postbiotics; Anti-biofilm / quorum-sensing inhibitors; Antimicrobials

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

  The core goal is to develop microbiota-informed, vesicle-based adjunctive therapies (Vesicle-Enhanced Adjunctive Therapies) that, when co-administered with existing antimicrobials, will enhance clinical efficacy, suppress resistome expansion, and support microbiota recovery. The approach involves five key phases: Clinical Cohort Profiling: Characterizing the gut microbiota and resistome trajectories in CR-Kp patients across the treatment course (pre-treatment, mid-treatment, end of therapy, and 30-day follow-up). Adjunct Development: Developing a multi-class panel of adjunctive agents, including probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, anti-biofilm agents, and specialized vesicle-based adjunct systems (e.g., bacterial extracellular vesicles and metabolite-loaded liposomes). In Vitro Synergy Pipeline: Performing a comprehensive synergy evaluation (e.g., checkerboard testing, time-kill kinetics) of the adjuncts combined with current antimicrobials (like ceftazidime–avibactam and meropenem–vaborbactam) against CR-Kp isolates. In Vivo Validation: Validating the top synergistic combinations using a CR-Kp colonization and infection mouse model, evaluating endpoints like gut colonization density, systemic burden, microbiota recovery, and resistome reduction. Translational Output: Generating an adjunct-supported therapeutic protocol for CR-Kp infections under One Health principles.

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

  Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp) is a WHO critical-priority pathogen associated with severe invasive infections, limited therapeutic options, and high mortality. Treatment failure and relapse are closely linked to gut microbiota disruption, which promotes intestinal expansion of CR-Kp and accelerates resistome spread. Current antimicrobial therapies alone are insufficient to restore colonization resistance or prevent resistance amplification. This project aims to develop microbiota-informed, vesicle-based adjunctive therapies that can be co-administered with existing antimicrobials to enhance clinical efficacy, suppress resistome expansion, and support microbiota recovery.

Rafig Gurbanov

• Organisation: Avicenna Bioscience
• Position: Associate Professor
• E-mail: rafig.gurbanov@bilecik.edu.tr
• Phone: +905322318316
• Web: avicennabioscience.com