Past Grantees
My research area is Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, as applied to the study of bacterial genomics. This grant allowed me to expand my area of expertise and provided me with a unique and exciting opportunity to join an extremely productive research group which is at the forefront of investigations on comparative and functional genomics of bifidobacteria. My research stay in the Laboratory of Probiogenomics at the University of Parma, Italy, generated new insights and opportunities for future research, and also allowed me to bolster an existing collaboration between University College Cork/APC Microbiome Ireland and the University of Parma. I strongly encourage all young researchers to avail of this invaluable opportunity FEMS offer of promoting collaborative exchange of expertise between international research teams, which can bring new insights and inspiration in future research.” — Dr Francesca Bottacini
| RESEARCH AND TRAINING GRANTEES | |||
| 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
AMR three ways: healthcare crisis, major concepts and the relevance of biofilms
Worldwide, infections are resuming their role as highly effective killing diseases, as current treatments are failing to respond to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this minireview, the impact of AMR in healthcare systems and the major bacteria behind it are highlighted. Ecological aspects of AMR evolution and the complexity of its molecular mechanisms are explained. Major concepts, such as intrinsic, acquired and adaptive resistance, as well as tolerance and heteroresistance, are also clarified. More importantly, the problematic of biofilms and their role in AMR, namely their main resistance and tolerance mechanisms, are elucidated. Finally, some of the most promising anti-biofilm strategies being investigated are reviewed.
