Keynote speaker: David Pires

Hosted by Bruno Cardoso

David is a microbiologist-turned-cell biologist-turned-immunologist whose work sits at the interface of host–pathogen biology and drug discovery. He focuses primarily on tuberculosis, with a broader interest in how complex human–microbe interactions drive disease and can be exploited therapeutically.

He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Microbiology from the Faculties of Medicine and the Faculty of Sciences, and a PhD in Pharmacy from the Faculty of Pharmacy, all from the University of Lisbon. David's research is primarily conducted at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Lisbon, while he also teaches immunology and bacteriology at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Lisbon. 

David’s research aims to understand how Mycobacterium tuberculosis subverts host immune mechanisms and to design host‑directed and pathogen‑directed interventions that restore and enhance these responses. Ultimately, his goal is to develop therapies whose antimicrobial efficacy arises from coordinated targeting of both the bacillus and the immune cell.

To this end, he is currently developing advanced three‑dimensional infection models that more faithfully recapitulate the tuberculous granuloma, with the aim of increasing the physiological relevance, predictive power, and translational value of TB drug screening platforms.

Free and open to the academic community!