Moroccan Researcher Wins UNESCO Prize for Antibiotic Work

On Friday evening in Paris, Adnane Remmal joined two other scientists as a recipient of the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. His antibiotic-resistance research has received clinical approval in Morocco, and Remmal said his approach had benefited hundreds of thousands of patients.

A treatment aimed at resistance

Remmal, a professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, developed OLIPEN, which combines an antibiotic with a component derived from essential oils. It offers an option for infections caused by bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. Remmal said his research seeks to restore the effectiveness of drugs already in use, rather than constantly developing new ones.

The method pairs a conventional antibiotic with a natural molecule that acts as a “resistance breaker,” helping it fight bacteria that have developed resistance. Remmal told Morocco’s state news agency MAP that Morocco had validated the approach. He said it could cut the time and cost of developing treatments, potentially making them more accessible to health systems.

That isn’t a claim that antibiotic resistance has been solved. The award recognizes work on a challenge Remmal described as threatening public health, human development, food security and global equality. Clinical approval in Morocco gives the treatment a route into patient care; Remmal’s account describes the reported scale of its use.

Beyond human medicine

Remmal has also developed natural alternatives to antibiotics for livestock farming. The aim, as stated, is to reduce antibiotic use in animal production while supporting a safer and more sustainable food supply. His research addresses two connected settings: treating infections in people and limiting antibiotic use in food production.

Moroccan nuclear physicist Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli chaired the award jury. The jury also recognized Chinese neuroscientist Nancy Yuk-yu Ip for research into brain mechanisms and Alzheimer’s disease, and Spanish researcher Carlos Martín Montañés for his contribution to the clinical development of a live attenuated tuberculosis vaccine.

The three winners shared a total prize of $300,000. Each received a statuette created by Equatorial Guinean artist Leandro Mbomio Nsue. The award brings research from Morocco, China and Spain together under one international prize, while Remmal’s work depends on approval and use in a particular national health system.

Recognition and research investment

Speaking to MAP, Remmal thanked UNESCO and Equatorial Guinea for the recognition. Cherkaoui El Moursli said she was proud of Morocco’s contribution to international scientific research. She said recognition of researchers from different countries highlights science’s role in progress, innovation and international cooperation.

Cherkaoui El Moursli also cited Africa’s scientific potential. She called for greater research investment, more support for young African scientists and stronger South-South scientific partnerships. Her call points to the resources and institutional backing research requires, but the article gives no figures for current investment or details about who would fund that expansion.

The reported record is specific. Remmal’s treatment received approval for clinical use in Morocco, his research has also produced proposed natural alternatives for livestock farming, and the award recognizes his work on antibiotic resistance. The prize confers recognition. Patients and health systems are where the treatment’s claimed accessibility and reach will matter.