- The Aspergillus Website, which is solely funded by the Fungal Research Trust, has reached its 10th Anniversary. An Anniversary Symposium was held at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, UK to celebrate. Presentations showed how the website has gone from strength to strength and now provides up to 5 million page requests per year. Details and Press Release here.
- Press Release. The ‘genome sequences’ or genetic maps for the fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus oryzae are published on 22 December 2005 in Nature magazine. Despite being from the same fungal family, they have been found to be as genetically different as fish and man. The FRT contributed to this research, particularly in its early days. More information can be found here.
- Press Release. FRT researchers at the University of Manchester discover a potential route through which vulnerable patients can contract Aspergillosis - the pillows we sleep on!
- Funding a meeting entitled 'FUNGAL DISEASE IN THE UK TODAY' held at the medical Society of London, June 2005.
- Funded a meeting entitled 'FUNGAL DISEASE – A MILD CONDITION OR A KILLER?' held at the Medical Society of London, May 2004.
- Partial funding
of the project which won the 13th European Union
Contest for Young Scientists in Bergen, Norway on September 20th,
2001.
- FRT research grants to
the Universities of Manchester, Glasgow, Aberystwyth, Kew Gardens, Imperial
College, London and the EORTC Invasive Fungal Infections Co-operative Group
in Brussels have contributed to the publication of over 50 research publications
and communications.
- The Trust has funded the following important contributions to medical science:
- understanding the pattern and distribution of antifungal resistance in Candida and Aspergillus
- Contributing to a European standard of antifungal testing of Candida and an international standard for Aspergillus.
- a new discovery that Aspergillus produces phospholipases that have the potential to destroy human lung tissue
- a new discovery that Aspergillus grows much faster if grown with steroids, consistent with the higher frequency of aspergillosis after transplantation.
- work on a new species of Candida, Candida inconspicua, which can cause thrush in AIDS and is usually resistant to treatment
- discovering and cloning of two new genes in Aspergillus: one, a catalase gene that may protect the fungus from attack by phagocytes in the body and the other, a transporter gene, that may be responsible for antifungal resistance.
- Providing the seed money to help initiate the Aspergillus fumigatus genome sequencing project, which will be the first mould fully sequenced.
3. The Trust has also given small
travel grants for individuals working in the field of mycology and infectious
diseases in order to attend conferences.
4. The Trust is also supporting several young scientists through their
graduate studies to gain Masters of Science (MSc) degrees (3 awarded to date
and 2 in progress) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees (6 in progress).
5. The Trust has supported three International meetings and one UK meeting
on fungal diseases:
- Trends in Systemic Fungal Infections in Manchester, 1993 (400 participants)
- Barcelona, 1997 (550 participants)
- Malta, 1999 (500 participants)
- A one day meeting on fungal cell walls in 1998 hosted by the British Society for Medical Mycology.
6. The Trust has established a
major website on the fungus
Aspergillus and the diseases it causes. This is now the most comprehensive
resource on the subject anywhere for clinical doctors and scientists. It also
provides a resource for patients and relatives
7. Scientific papers - published papers supported
by the Trust