David Pires is a Cellular Microbiologist with a PhD in Pharmacy by the University of Lisbon (2014). His scientific background is a biohazardous mixture of his Microbiology degree and his doctoral studies on the cellular and molecular biology of infection by the tuberculosis bacilli. His interest in the mechanisms bridging innate and adaptive immunity during infection led him to join Elsa Anes’ lab at iMed.ULisboa and pursue his studies on host-pathogen interactions during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and HIV infection of host immune cells. David’s scientific carrier has taken him to Olivier Neyrolles’ lab (2011) in Toulouse, France, to learn the intricacies of the isolation and genetic manipulation of primary human cells and to Gareth Griffiths’ lab (2018) in Oslo, Norway, to learn nanoparticle delivery systems in the zebrafish larva infection model. David’s expertise encompasses the various steps of the drug discovery and development process: from his first systematic description of Mtb interference with the lysosomal proteases, cathepsins; to the proposal of a miRNA-based mechanism and a repurposed antiviral drug to overcome this interference and help fight the infection; to the development of new pyrazinamide-derivate drugs to tackle drug resistance and the use of nanoparticles to enhance drug delivery and reduce toxicity. The overall aim of his studies is to find new mechanisms and drugs that enhance the host’s cellular response to infection while also targeting the pathogens themselves. This dual approach to infection reduces the probability of emergence of drug resistant strains and improves the conventional therapy.