Press Releases
The following are an archive of press releases made by the Fungal Research Trust:

May 12th 2006. Fungal Research Trust supports launch of new anti-fungal drug. The Fungal Research trust are pleased to announce the long awaited launch of Posaconazole (NoxafilR, Schering-Plough) in the UK. The world's first studies showing the effect of this drug against Aspergillus infections were as demonstrated in 1997 by studies funded by the Fungal Research Trust (FRT). In particular, Aspergillus resistant to itraconazole was shown to respond to Posaconazole. Approval for use in patients was granted for "Invasive aspergillosis in patients refractory to/or intolerant of amphotericin B or itraconazole." Link.

April 21st 2006. Relationship between Asthma and Fungal sensitisation explored. Research published in the European Respiratory Journal demonstrates a close association between fungal sensitisation and asthma severity. With 1,500 deaths per year in the UK alone, and many patients with severe asthma desperately disabled by the disease, the healthcare costs of these patients are enormous. Link.

December 22 2005. Genomic sequence of the pathogenic and allergenic filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Aspergillus fumigatus is exceptional among microorganisms in being both a primary and opportunistic pathogen as well as a major allergen^{1, 2, 3}. Its conidia production is prolific, and so human respiratory tract exposure is almost constant⁴. A. fumigatus is isolated from human habitats⁵ and vegetable compost heaps^{6, 7}. In immunocompromised individuals, the incidence of invasive infection can be as high as 50% and the mortality rate is often about 50% (ref. 2). The interaction of A. fumigatus and other airborne fungi with the immune system is increasingly linked to severe asthma and sinusitis⁸. Although the burden of invasive disease caused by A. fumigatus is substantial, the basic biology of the organism is mostly obscure. Here we show the complete 29.4-megabase genome sequence of the clinical isolate Af293, which consists of eight chromosomes containing 9,926 predicted genes. Microarray analysis revealed temperature-dependent expression of distinct sets of genes, as well as 700 A. fumigatus genes not present or significantly diverged in the closely related sexual species Neosartorya fischeri, many of which may have roles in the pathogenicity phenotype. The Af293 genome sequence provides an unparalleled resource for the future understanding of this remarkable fungus.
Initial work was funded by the Fungal Research trust. Link

October 14, 2005.
Pillows - a hot bed of fungal spores. Researchers at The University of Manchester funded by the Fungal Research Trust have discovered millions of fungal spores right under our noses - in our pillows. Link

July 13 2005.
Secret sex life of killer fungus? A team of scientists, led by researchers at The University of Nottingham, part funded by the Fungal Research Trust is studying the secret sex life of a fungus that causes potentially life-threatening infections in an effort to find new ways of controlling the disease. Link

June 2005. Checklist and database of the British Basidiomycota. The printed checklist is part of a major checklist and database project, based at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which has received funding from the British Mycological Society, the Countryside Council of Wales, English Nature, Environment & Heritage Service (N. Ireland), the Fungal Research Trust, the Heritage Council of Ireland, and Scottish Natural Heritage. Link

 

CONTACT US.
Media contact is secretary@fungalresearchtrust.org