Every year, the Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) brings together experts in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology, including many ARLG members. ESCMID Global 2026 is being held on April 17-21 in Munich, Germany, with live streaming of sessions for virtual attendees. Check out the list below of ARLG members who are speaking or chairing events.  For the full schedule with more details about each of these sessions, visit the ESCMID Global Congress program page.

ARLG Member Presentations at ESCMID Global 2026

ARLG Member Posters at ESCMID Global 2026

A new manuscript in Nature Communications discusses the global effort to support phage therapy and features ARLG’s research along with other collaborative initiatives. “Considerations and perspectives on phage therapy from the Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR)” details discussions from key meetings in 2023 and 2024 where experts and regulatory authorities from the United States, Canada, the European Union, Norway, and the United Kingdom examined the scientific, regulatory, and logistical challenges surrounding phage therapy.

The publication aims to fill critical research gaps, support therapeutic research and development, and accelerate the translation of phage therapeutics into clinical practice.
This TATFAR initiative to advance phage therapy was collaborative effort among several domestic and international agencies including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Health Canada, and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).

The insight provided by TATFAR helps to clarify the current landscape of phage therapy on a global scale and guide its direction in the future. These and other collaborative efforts inform the broader goal to advance evidence-driven approaches that will combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance worldwide.

Read the full publication

Thomas Lodise, PharmD, PhD, who serves as the ARLG Network’s Pharmacokinetic Scientific Lead, received the 2025 Literature Award for Sustained Contributions from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation. With over 250 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Lodise has made significant contributions to biomedical literature on treatments for antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections.

Congratulations to Dr. Lodise for this recognition of his impactful work to combat the antibacterial resistance crisis and improve patient care!

Read more

ARLG Co-Principal Investigator, Vance Fowler, MD, and Helen Boucher, MD, ARLG Executive Committee Member and Innovations Working Group Chair, shared their insights on the current state of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a recent article published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The article, “Where are we in the battle against antibiotic-resistant infections?,” also included their strategies to combat this global health crisis.

Dr. Boucher, an Infectious Disease (ID) Specialist, Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine, and Chief Academic Officer of Tufts Medicine, emphasized practicing infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship to decrease rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals. The development of diagnostic tests to determine if an infection is bacterial or viral is another promising avenue to combat AMR. However, Dr. Boucher notes, it has been challenging to determine how best to use the tests and make them cost effective.

Dr. Fowler, ID Specialist and Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, highlighted the need for renewed investment in the development of antibiotics by the pharmaceutical industry, which could be supported through the PASTEUR Act if passed by Congress. Bacteriophage therapy is emerging as a strong potential treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. Dr. Fowler served as Chair of a blinded independent adjudication committee to evaluate the results of a phase 2 trial conducted at UCLA. The study showed promising results for a phage “cocktail” used in combination with standard of care antibiotics to treat patients with complicated Staphylococcus aureus infections.

The AAMC article also cites antimicrobial use in livestock and agriculture and ID workforce shortages as other areas that need to be addressed to combat the AMR crisis.

Read the article on the AAMC website.

Congratulations to the ARLG Steering Committee members who received recognition as one of Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers in 2025! Clarivate uses a meticulous process to identify researchers who have significantly influenced their fields during the past year. Learn more about the important work these leaders in antimicrobial resistance are doing to improve patient care by advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria:

• Vance Fowler, MD, MHS, Duke University (Cross-Field)
• David van Duin, MD, PhD, FIDSA, FAST, University of North Carolina (Immunology)
• Yohei Doi, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh (Immunology)
• David Paterson, National University of Singapore (Pharmacology and Toxicology)