Bucharest, Romania | 27 March 2026

The REVERSE project continues its mission to combat the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections across Europe. Last week, consortium members led a high-impact scientific session at the 7th edition of the Infectious Diseases and HIV Dialogues conference, held at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. 

Chaired by Prof. Dr. Adriana Hristea, the session, titled “Antimicrobial resistance: Current challenges and evolving strategies in bacterial infections,” brought together clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the translation of large-scale European research into actionable clinical practice.

Addressing the Burden of MDR Infections

The session opened with a keynote lecture by Dr. Ashlesha Sonpar (Switzerland), who introduced the overarching objectives of the REVERSE project. Dr Sonpar detailed how this large-scale collaborative framework is designed to reduce the prevalence of MDR infections through a multi-faceted approach involving integrated modular strategies, implementation science, cost-effectiveness, and harmonised European guidelines.

Following this, Assoc. Prof. Elena Carrara (Italy) delivered a keynote on the critical role of implementation strategies for the specific antimicrobial stewardship frameworks developed within REVERSE, emphasising that the success of stewardship relies not only on clinical evidence but on robust, scalable implementation strategies adapted to diverse healthcare settings.

Clinical Insights and Novel Therapeutics

The second half of the session was dedicated to specific clinical challenges within the AMR landscape:

• Optimising Treatment for carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria:  Dr. Cristian Niculae (Romania) presented an evaluative study on the comparative effectiveness of novel and alternative antimicrobial combinations. His findings provided vital insights into the management of severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB), a primary focus of the REVERSE clinical work packages.
• Empirical antibiotic therapy in high-risk patients: Dr. Andreea-Lăcrămioara Mohorea-Neata (Romania) shared data from the Fundeni Institute cohort. Her presentation highlighted the impact of empirical antibiotic therapy guided by rectal Gram-negative colonisation in patients with febrile neutropenia, demonstrating the project's commitment to improving outcomes for the most vulnerable patient populations.

A Collaborative Future

The session concluded with a dynamic panel discussion, where the chairs and presenters addressed the complexities of managing AMR in the post-pandemic era. The high level of engagement from the audience underscored the importance of the REVERSE project’s work in the Eastern European context and beyond.

The REVERSE consortium extends its gratitude to the conference organisers, Prof. Dr. Oana Săndulescu and Prof. Dr. Anca Streinu-Cercel, for providing a prestigious platform to share these findings and for their ongoing commitment to international scientific exchange.