Antibiotic Resistance, Immune Modulation & Therapeutic Re-Sensitization | Session Spotlight

This session at the 2nd International Virtual Conference on Staphylococci and Staphylococcal Infections (February 23–24, 2026) will focus on innovative strategies to overcome antibiotic resistance in 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴, highlighting how immune modulation, host-directed therapies, and vaccine approaches can restore treatment efficacy.

James O’Gara (University of Galway, Ireland) will present novel adjuvant strategies to re-sensitise MRSA to antibiotics; Maisem Laabei (University of Bristol, United Kingdom) will discuss how exposure to human serum promotes innate immune evasion in 𝘚. 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴; Guido Grandi (Università di Trento, Italy) will share pre-clinical immunogenicity studies supporting a 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴 vaccine based on bacterial outer membrane vesicles; Kuan-Yi (呂冠毅) Lu (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA) will describe host-directed adjuvants that sensitise intracellular bacterial persisters to antibiotics; Fan Zhang, PhD (Boston Children’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School, USA) will highlight the essential role of cellular immunity in fighting 𝘚. 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴 infection; and Matthieu Degreze (Hospices Civils de Lyon – HCL, France) will present strategies for selecting wide-spectrum anti-𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴 phages while minimizing the risk of resistance development.

The session will be chaired by Caitlin Kowalski, PhD (Dartmouth Health & Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth), who will guide discussion and foster scientific exchange on resistance, immune modulation, and therapeutic re-sensitization.

Together, these talks provide a comprehensive view of how combining antimicrobial, immunological, and host-directed strategies can counteract resistance and improve outcomes in staphylococcal disease.

Download the full program – https://staph.ircconferences.net/

February 23–24, 2026 | Eastern Time (USA)

Join now to hear from leading experts advancing next-generation approaches to combat antibiotic-resistant 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴.

This conference is organized by Impact Research Communications (IRC)

More info: https://staph.ircconferences.net/ | Staphylococcus Science & Therapeutics