Multicellular Dynamics

Bacterial infections: new targets and new prevention and treatment strategies

 Dr Younes Smani

Principal Investigator

Summary

The Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacterales are highly efficient in acquiring antimicrobial resistance encoded by genomic changes ranging in scale from point mutations, through the assembly of preexisting genetic elements, to the horizontal import of genes from the environment.
Compounding the problem of antimicrobial resistance is the immediate threat of a reduction in the discovery and development of new antibiotics, the dangers of which have recently been made clear by the World Health Organization and other European institutions. Consequently, a perfect storm is converging with regard to these infections: increasing antimicrobial resistance with a decreased new drug development. This context is likely the best example of the purported “Post-Antibiotic Era,” with relevance even in nonspecialized media. It is clear that effective solutions are urgently needed as stressed by various institutions. Therefore, the development of new antimicrobial strategies requires immediate attention to avoid the ten million deaths that are projected to occur in 2050 as a result of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. In this context, the development of new antimicrobial therapeutic strategies for use alone or together with one of the scarce but clinically relevant antibiotics, has become exigent.

Our research projects are focused to:

  1. Identify new therapeutic targets in the outer membrane of the bacteria associated with healthcare-related infections, through the study of host-pathogen interactions in vitro and in animal models.
  2. To decipher new antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.

This will open new perspectives of particular relevance for the development of current and new antimicrobial strategies.

For more details about our research, visit our website (smaniyouneslab.jimdosite.com).

If you are interested to join our lab, please contact Younes Smani: ysma@upo.es

Relevant publications

 

  1. Molina Panadero I, Moreno Rodríguez A, Rey Hidalgo A, de la Cruz M, Sánchez P, Tomás Gallardo L, Samernate T, Sencanski M, Glisic S, Genilloud O, Nonejuie P, Pérez-Pulido AJ, Hmadcha A, Smani Y*. ENOblock synergizes with colistin to treat Acinetobacter baumannii infections. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2025 Oct 31. doi: 10.1038/s44321-025-00331-2. Online ahead of print.
  2. Gálve Benítez L, Ortiz de la Rosa JM, Rodríguez Villodres A, Casimero Soriguer C, Molina Panadero I, Alvarez Marin R, Bonnin RA, Naas T, Pachón J, Cisneros JM, Lepe JA, Smani Y*. Role of blaTEM and OmpC in the piperacillin-tazobactam resistance evolution by E. coli in patients with complicated intra-abdominal infection. Journal of Infection 2023; 87(3):220-229.
  3. Rodríguez Villodres A, Gálvez Benítez L, Arroyo MJ, Méndez G, Mancera L, Vila Domínguez A, Lepe Jímenez JA, Smani Y*. Ultrasensitive and rapid identification of ESRI developer- and piperacillin/tazobactam-resistant Escherichia coli by the MALDIpipta test. Emerging Microbes and Infections 2022; 11(1): 2034-2044.
  4. Gil-Marqués ML, Pachón J, Smani Y*. iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii under hypoxia and normoxia reveals the role of OmpW as a virulence factor. Microbiology Spectrum 2022; e0232821.
  5. Gil-Marqués ML, Labrador Herrera G, Miró Canturri A, Pachón J, Smani Y*, Pachón-Ibáñez ME. Role of PstS in the Pathogenesis of Acinetobacter baumannii Under Microaerobiosis and Normoxia. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2020; 222(7): 1204-1212.
  6. Vila-Farrés X, Parra-Millán R, Sánchez-Encinales V, Varese M, Ayerbe-Algaba R, Bayó N, Guardiola S, Pachón-Ibáñez ME, Kotev M, García J, Teixidó M, Vila J, Pachón J, Giralt E, Smani Y. Combating virulence of Gram-negative bacilli by OmpA inhibition. Scientific Reports 2017; 7(1): 14683.
  7. Pachón-Ibáñez ME#, Smani Y#, Pachón J, Sánchez-Céspedes J. Perspectives for clinical use of engineered human host defense antimicrobial peptides. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 2017; 41(3): 323-342. (# comparten autoria)
  8. Smani Y*, Docobo-Pérez F, López-Rojas R, Domínguez-Herrera J, Ibáñez-Martínez J, Pachón J. Platelet-activating factor receptor initiates contact of Acinetobacter baumannii expressing phosphorylcholine with host cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2012; 287(32): 26901-10.

* Autor de correspondencia.
Lista de publicaciones Completa

Lab members & Collaborators

Lab members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Younes Smani

Postdocs

Miriam Ortiz Padilla

PhD Students

Irene Molina Panadero
Antonio Moreno Rodríguez

Technical Staff

Angela Rey Hidalgo
María José López Carballo

Students

Javier Falcón Torres
José Manuel Capitán Asensio

Previous group members

Katarina Novovic, Postdoctoral Researcher, FEMS Program
Andrea Vila Rodríguez, Predoctoral Researcher, pFIS Program
Celia Atalay Rey, Research, B2 UPO Plan Propio Program
Lidia Gálvez Benítez, Predoctoral Researcher
Angel Rodríguez-Villodrés, Junior Researcher, Rio Hortega Program
Andrea Miró-Canturri, Predoctoral Researcher
Rafael Ayerbe-Algaba, Predoctoral Researcher
María Luisa Gil-Marqués, FPU Predoctoral Program
Raquel Parra-Millán, Predoctoral Researcher
Viviana Sánchez-Encinales, Technical Staff

Collaborators

Javier Irazoqui. University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA
Jean Pierre Lavigne. University of Rouen, Rouen, France
William Couet. INSERM U1070, Poitiers, France
Thierry Naas, Hospital of Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
Alejandro Viale. National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
Carmen Gil & Ana Martínez, Center for Biological Research, Madrid, Spain
Ernest Giralt, Research Institute of Barcelone, Barcelone, Spain
José Pérez del Palacio. Medina Foundation, Grenade, Spain
Germán Bou and María Tomás. La Coruña Hospital, A Coruña, Spain
Jordi Vila. Clinic Hospital, Barcelone, Spain
Alvaro Pascual and José Manuel Rodríguez Martínez, Virgen Macarena Hospital, Seville, Spain
Antonio Miranda-Vizuete, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Seville. Spain