1 August 2026
Project kick-off
RESTORE begins its journey in Team 6 at CR2TI, Nantes Université.
Read more →MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
RESTORE: Reestablishing the lung microbiome
Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. RESTORE explores whether restoring a healthy lung microbiome can help fight pneumonia.
The project
Why the lung microbiome?
Lower respiratory infections, including pneumonia, rank among the leading global causes of mortality, accounting for approximately 2.7 million deaths worldwide in 2023. [WHO]
Treatments mostly target the pathogen, a “one-size-fits-all” approach that overlooks the interactions between the host and the microbiome.
A new perspective
Although the lungs were once considered sterile, we now know that healthy lungs harbour a diverse, metabolically active microbial community. A core group of microbes typical of healthy airways is associated with respiratory health, and its depletion has been linked to hospital-acquired pneumonia. [REF] Understanding how this community interacts with the host may offer new ways to approach pneumonia.
The RESTORE hypothesis
Re-establishing the abundance and functions of a healthy core respiratory microbiome—by administering a probiotic containing a consortium of lung-specific commensal bacteria and/or metabolites and peptides derived from this consortium—could mitigate pneumonia severity by modulating pathogens and mucosal immunity.
How we are doing it
1
Identify
Use existing patient cohorts and multi-omics data to identify bacteria, and the molecules they produce, whose loss is linked to pneumonia severity.
2
Test
Study in the lab how these bacteria interact with each other and with pathogens through their derived metabolites and peptides.
3
Validate
Evaluate in vivo the therapeutic potential of a lung-specific bacterial consortium and its derived products during pneumonia.
Why it matters. RESTORE aims to address a critical gap in current medical approaches through non-antibiotic, microbiome-focused strategies. In the long term, this could mean less antibiotic use to treat pneumonia and could inspire similar approaches for other infectious diseases.
News
Latest updates
5–9 September 2026
ERS participation
Poster presentation: “The effects of Streptococcus mitis and its lactate-derived product on alveolar macrophages during Escherichia coli pneumonia”.
Read more →30 September 2026
First publication
Publication in Nature Communications: “Identification of functional bacterial-viral pneumotypes associated with airway inflammation and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients”.
Read more →Activities
Main outcomes of research
Research
Barcelona · 8 September 2026
ERS poster presentation
“The effects of Streptococcus mitis and its lactate-derived product on alveolar macrophages during Escherichia coli pneumonia”.
30 September 2026
Publication
“Identification of functional bacterial-viral pneumotypes associated with airway inflammation and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients”.
Outreach & communication
About me
Ana MOTOS, PhD
Host institutionTeam 6, CR2TI, Nantes Université
I am a postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in translational research, specialising in respiratory infections, particularly pneumonia in critically ill patients. My experience spans animal models of lung infection and large-scale clinical observational studies.
Education
- PhD in Translational Medicine, cum laude, with an International Mention. University of Barcelona, Spain. December 2022.
- MSc in Translational Medicine. University of Barcelona, Spain. June 2014.
- BSc in Biotechnology. University of Barcelona, Spain. September 2013.
Positions
- RESPIRE4 Postdoctoral Fellow. Nantes Université, France. February 2024–July 2026.
- Animal Lab Coordinator. IDIBAPS, Spain. September 2018–January 2024.
- ERS Long-Term Research Fellow. Center for Anti-Infective Research and Development, Hartford Hospital, USA. January–August 2018.
- PhD student. University of Barcelona, Spain. July 2017–December 2022.
Main publications as first author
- Clinical phenotyping uncovers heterogeneous associations between corticosteroid treatment and survival in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Intensive Care Med. 26 August 2024.
- Effect of viral storm in patients admitted to intensive care units with severe COVID-19 in Spain: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study. Lancet Microbe. June 2023;4(6):e431–e441.
- Inhaled amikacin for pneumonia treatment and dissemination prevention: an experimental model of severe monolateral Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. Crit Care. 14 February 2023;27(1):60.
- Is One Sample Enough? β-Lactam Target Attainment and Penetration into Epithelial Lining Fluid Based on Multiple Bronchoalveolar Lavage Sampling Time Points in a Swine Pneumonia Model. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 29 January 2019;63(2):e01922-18.
- Comparative efficacy of linezolid and vancomycin for endotracheal tube MRSA biofilms from ICU patients. Crit Care. 10 July 2019;23(1):251.
Main projects as principal investigator
-
Reestablishing the lung microbiome: preclinical evaluation of targeted probiotics for pneumonia treatment (RESTORE)
Grant / reference: 101198435 -
Definition of sub-phenotypes of pneumonia based on the respiratory microbiome composition to predict microbial and clinical treatment failures (RESPIRE4)
Grant / reference: R4202305-01039 -
Symbiotic microbiome interactions in pneumonia treatment: gateways to immune homeostasis (SYNERGIA)
-
Defining the threshold for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia using the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel
About the team
Meet the team
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[Team member name]
[Role in RESTORE]
[Institution and short biography]
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[Role in RESTORE]
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Behind the scenes
Behind the scenes
1
How to write an MSCA proposal
My experience of preparing a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal.
Read more →2
Establish networks
How to build connections and collaborations in research.
Read more →