The 2nd Hong Kong Laureate Forum offers an exciting chance for me to connect with some of the world’s leading scientists and passionate young researchers. As a researcher deeply interested in infectious diseases, medicine, and microbiology, I’m excited about the possibility of expanding my scientific perspective, sharing ideas, and building interdisciplinary collaborations that will take my research to the next level.
Currently, as a PhD student, my research focuses on understanding how pathogens colonize the human gut, particularly the interactions within the microbiome and the genomic profiles of these bacteria. These interactions are crucial for improving our understanding of human health and disease. I truly believe that participating in the Forum will give me the chance to learn from experts who can help refine my research and open up new areas for exploration. I’m particularly excited about the Forum’s seminars, discussions, and workshops as they’ll allow me to engage with cutting-edge advancements and strengthen my critical thinking.
Beyond the academic opportunities, I’m eager to engage with peers from diverse backgrounds, which I believe is key to sparking innovative ideas and forging meaningful global scientific collaborations.

Dr. MD, PhD Al Ismail Dania

Aims. Developing an in vivo model of intestinal colonization with multidrug-resistant E. coli (MDR-Ec). Moreover, testing bacteriophages as a possible decolonization strategy.

Results. With the first approach, contaminated food administration with the MDR-Ec strains induced rapid colonization with high bacterial load of ∼106-7 CFU/mL at T7. Larvae remained colonized with Ec-4901.28 and Ec-042 until T28 (103-4 CFU/mL). Larvae receiving a force-feeding treatment with bacteriophages were decolonized by Ec-4901.28 (INTESTI-susceptible); however, Ec-042 and Ec-050 (INTESTI-resistant) did not. Natural microbiota of Z. morio larvae was very rich of bacterial genera (i.e., Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Spiroplasma, Latilactobacillus). Moreover, Escherichia-Shigella genera appeared in larvae only at T7-T10. Notably, even for the second approach, force-feeding resulted in a colonization effect with 105 CFU/mL at T14.

Conclusion. Larvae possess a rich microbiota and can be easily colonized with global clones of MDR-Ec. Moreover, with the second approach we optimized the time required to induce intestinal colonization and retain a high bacterial load. Therefore, the Z. morio model presents a high-throughput compromise to study novel gut decolonization strategies reducing the number of subsequent mammalian experiments in line with the 3Rs strategy.