Remmal Wins UNESCO Life Sciences Prize
Moroccan researcher Adnane Remmal receives the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea prize for work on antibiotic resistance.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Life Sciences
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Adnane Remmal, a professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, received the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, shared with two other scientists for a total of $300,000. The award was presented Friday evening in Paris.
Why it matters
The prize recognizes research on antibiotic resistance, one of the major challenges facing public health worldwide. Remmal's approach restores the effectiveness of existing antibiotics rather than requiring entirely new drugs.
The prize totals $300,000 divided among three laureates, and Remmal reports that his approach has benefited hundreds of thousands of patients in Morocco. The extraction does not include independent verification of that patient figure.
The players
Adnane Remmal
A professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, Morocco, recognized for developing OLIPEN and natural alternatives to antibiotics.
Nancy Yuk-yu Ip
A co-winner of the prize for research into brain mechanisms and Alzheimer's disease, based at a university in Hong Kong.
Carlos Martín Montañés
A co-winner of the prize for the clinical development of a live attenuated tuberculosis vaccine, based at a university in Zaragoza, Spain.
The details
Remmal developed OLIPEN, an antibiotic combined with a component derived from essential oils that acts as a resistance breaker, and it has received approval for clinical use in Morocco. He also developed natural alternatives to antibiotics for livestock farming, and the award was cited for this body of work on antibiotic resistance.
Timeline
Friday, November 6, 2026: award ceremony held in Paris.
Big Picture
The UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences honors research with international reach, and this year's laureates span antibiotic resistance, Alzheimer's disease and tuberculosis vaccines. Remmal's approach extends that recognition to strategies that restore existing drugs rather than replacing them.
For readers, the work points toward treatments that could keep current antibiotics effective longer, which matters for routine infections as well as hospital care. The strategy could also reduce the cost and time needed to bring new treatments to patients.
The takeaway
Restoring the power of existing antibiotics may be as valuable as discovering new ones, and it is a line of work worth following as resistance continues to grow.
Further reading
Explore more in Life Sciences for related research on drugs, disease and treatment.
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