Young Innovators & Early Career Research
Early career research is crucial for science, and in delivering applied microbiology to the world. This page is focused on showcasing innovations and research from early career researchers across the globe and provides a hub for the latest news, opinions, careers advice and research for early career scientists. Discover how interdisciplinary colleagues from around the world are making advancements in, and through, applied microbiology.
News
Plants could be used to grow medicines in space, study shows
Astronauts on long space missions may one day use plants to produce fresh stocks of medicines on demand. Researchers developed a simple method to grow and repeatedly harvest plant virus-based pharmaceuticals from plants under space-like conditions, without destroying the plants or generating large amounts of waste.
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NewsAntibiotics drive resistance in waterways - even after they break down
Antibiotics continue to drive resistance to bacteria, even after they are broken down in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers and seas, new research published on World Oceans Day has shown for the first time.
NewsTesting AI against public health’s existing tools
A new study found that AI chatbots made vaccine-hesitant parents more likely to say they would vaccinate their children against HPV, but did not outperform materials from government health agencies, whose effects also lasted longer.
CareersAccessibility, visibility, and participation - what AMI’s 2026 survey reveals about the future of applied microbiology
Applied Microbiology International’s 2026 Member Survey paints a picture of an organisation with strong foundations, a genuinely global reputation, and a highly engaged membership community, particularly among early-career microbiologists.
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News
Drug-resistant bacteria found in homes from sewage overflow
A new study shows that sewage overflows in homes can expose people to bacteria that can make them sick, including antibiotic-resistant and multidrug resistant bacteria which can make infections difficult to treat.
NewsResearchers combine bacteria and viruses to demonstrate a new way to fight cancer
Researchers have designed non-toxic Salmonella bacteria to deliver viruses that are safe to humans but potent against liver and pancreatic cancer tumors. Animal models treated with this combination of bacteria and viruses saw almost all their tumors eliminated and lived significantly longer.
NewsResearcher investigates how a bioengineered peptide can break through harmful bacterial ‘fortresses’ and curb severe infections
A researcher is refining a powerful therapy for drug-resistant bacteria that pierces the gooey coating that anchors and protects such germs from the drugs we take to kill them. She has found that an antimicrobial peptide naturally found in cows weakens the biofilm defenses of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria and destroys it.
NewsResearchers discover a new antibiotic — and a new way to kill drug-resistant bacteria
Researchers have discovered a new antibiotic that kills some of the world’s most dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria by targeting a previously unknown vulnerability. Manikomycin has shown early effectiveness against priority pathogens including Salmonella, E. coli, and Klebsiella.
NewsNew climate-based tool predicts coral bleaching months in advance
Researchers found that coral bleaching on a Caribbean island occurs when three major climate patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans align in specific ways that intensify ocean warming. They created a new, early-warning tool called the Bleaching Event Early Predictor (BEEP).
News‘Baked’, printed, ready – premiere of architecture made from yeast
Researchers have developed a new, entirely bio-based material from a somewhat unexpected ingredient: yeast. The material is 3D printed and customised for use in architectural and interior design elements that are currently made from non-renewable or fossil-based materials, such as plaster, plastic or synthetic textiles.
NewsResearchers discover how to turn one germ’s drug resistance into an Achilles’ heel
As Mycobacterium tuberculosis mutates to protect itself from rifampicin, it also creates new weak points that other therapies could exploit. A new study shows that the most common rifampicin-resistance mutation slows bacterial RNA polymerase, creating vulnerabilities that future combination therapies may be able to target.
NewsScientists recreate enterovirus infection in a new model of the human intestine
A miniaturized, biomimetic model of the human intestine successfully reproduced long-term enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infection, report researchers. Using this innovative platform, they shed light on how this virus grows in the intestine without triggering a strong immune response.
OpinionBuilding sector infrastructure: The MLSFF model
Members of the MLSFF Steering Committee explores the sustainability problem that plagues equity initiatives in STEM - and the solutions presented by the infrastructure partnership that delivers Europe’s only conference for minoritised life scientists.
NewsReal-time brain monitor detects infections earlier
A research team has created a new monitoring system to save lives and significantly reduce health-care costs in brain-injury cases through the early detection of infections in intensive care units. NeuroSense connects to drainage lines to detect biomarkers of infection.
NewsPan-European One Health Network established to bolster infectious disease response
iiCON: the Infection Innovation Consortium has successfully secured funding from COST to establish a unique pan-European COST Action network with over 70 collaborators from 21 countries and international organisations to harmonise the European response to infectious disease threats.
NewsResearch shows plants such as canola, tomatoes and rice reduce iron uptake when stressed by drought
New research has found that plants, ranging from canola to rice to tomatoes, actively shut down their own ability to take up iron when they experience drought. The study questions whether plants send out a ‘cry for help’ when they are stressed by drought to recruit beneficial soil microbes in their roots.
NewsResearchers aim to improve access to high-quality research and biomanufacturing tools in resource-limited settings
Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of a suite of low-cost, portable biotechnology tools designed to improve access to laboratory research and diagnostics in resource-limited settings.
NewsNovel therapeutic drug for tuberculosis is proposed using high-precision molecular simulation
Researchers have proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques. The proposed drug is anticipated to bind strongly to the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP).
NewsResearchers transfer nitrogen-harvesting genes into new bacteria
New research has identified a key cluster of genes that can be moved from rhizobia bacteria that harvest nitrogen into bacteria that don’t — raising the possibility that microbes that dwell in cereal crops could eventually be engineered to atmospherically harvest nitrogen as well.
NewsArctic Ocean food chain disrupted as key tipping point passed
An irreversible shift in the chemical make-up of the Arctic Ocean driven by climate change is disrupting the region’s food chain, a study suggests. Widespread loss of Arctic sea ice has led to a sharp fall in levels of a key nutrient, affecting populations of plankton, fish, seabirds and marine mammals.
NewsResearchers identify immune ‘energy signature’ linked to tuberculosis protection
Researchers found that circulating monocytes from people with latent TB remain metabolically flexible, allowing them to mount strong antibacterial responses, whereas cells from people with active TB disease show impaired metabolism and weaker responses to infection.
NewsColorectal cancer risk linked to gut microbiome alterations
A study finds that more than a decade after removal of an adenoma from the colon, the gut microbiome still partly resembles that observed in colorectal cancer (CRC).
NewsScientists determine how mysterious acids give bacteria their shape
Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic “rod” shape—by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs.