A few days ago, I shared a post highlighting the reasons to be concerned about bioengineered fungi. It’s clear that the surveillance of fungi deserves serious attention, and funding should be allocated accordingly.
As climate change drives natural evolution and potential gain-of-function in fungi, it’s imperative to maintain vigilant environmental surveillance. This ongoing monitoring is crucial to detect any fungi that may acquire new capabilities, posing threats to our food supply, human health, and animal populations.
Now, I pose a question: Will you consider supporting/funding a fungi surveillance study? Are there funding organizations or groups willing to fund environmental surveillance initiatives? This crucial area of research is severely underfunded across the board, and your support could make a significant difference in safeguarding our ecosystems and well-being.
A brief highlight of our current research. We are collecting samples from trees, soil and wastewater samples from human, animal and plant environments. Looking for fungi that have adapted to grow at elevated temperatures and evolved in resistance to commonly used antifungals.
Areas we severely need funding:
Solar system: We need electricity to store our isolates and study our isolates at specific temperatures
Sequencing consumables: We need to be able to sequence our isolates and make them available
Feel free to talk or DM if you need any clarification and if you are interested in supporting or collaborating.
💰🍄 #FungiSurveillance #ResearchFunding #EnvironmentalProtection
You might want to reach out to Oliver Cornely one Cologne Germany. He‘s a leading expert on fungal infections and probably would have ideas!
Generally, for funds, I recommend the Job board | Funds list | 80,000 Hours (80000hours.org)