Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small defense molecules (10–50 amino acids) produced by nearly all living organisms, from microorganisms to humans. They play a key role in innate immunity and microbial competition. In the face of the global antibiotic resistance crisis, AMPs represent a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics, offering new strategies against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Beyond their antibacterial activity, many AMPs show antibiofilm, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antifungal, antiparasitic, or anticancer properties, making them valuable for applications in medicine, agriculture, and the food industry within the “One Health” framework.

AMPs are ancient and evolutionarily conserved molecules with exceptional structural and functional diversity. In eukaryotes, AMPs are central to innate immune defense, while in bacteria and archaea, they function as potent antimicrobial agents (bacteriocins, microcins, archaeocins) involved in microbial competition and ecosystem balance. This diversity reflects the evolutionary ingenuity of natural antimicrobial strategies and highlights AMPs as rich sources of inspiration for new therapeutics.

The AMP conference series, initiated in France in 2006, has become a key international event for this multidisciplinary field. Previous editions (AMP2006–AMP2024) have gathered up to 150 participants, fostering collaboration among microbiologists, chemists, biophysicists, and clinicians. Building on this success, AMP2026 aims to further strengthen the global visibility of the AMP community by hosting the next meeting in the historical region of Louis Pasteur, a symbolic site for microbiology and infectious disease research. AMP2026 will feature seven thematic sessions over three days, combining plenary lectures from leading scientists with talks and posters selected from submitted abstracts to promote visibility for early-career researchers.

AMP 2026 is happening from 17-20 November  in France.