Fascinating Fungi | The Race Against Antifungal Resistance

The WHO calls the growing resistance of fungi towards anti-fungal drugs one of the most underestimated threats worldwide. The widespread use of these medicines and agricultural fungicides makes infections in humans and plants increasingly difficult to treat. With over 300 million people already affected and nearly 2.5 million deaths each year, how can we use antifungal medicine responsibly? What is needed to protect human and plant health? Perhaps listening to the fungal sounds may help doctors choose the right treatment. 

Together with Kristina Haslinger, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology, we will explore the growing threat of fungi and what we can do about it. Aleksandre Japaridze from SoundCell will let us hear fungal sounds detected using a pioneering technology he and his colleagues developed, and explain how these sounds can help determine the sensitivity of fungi to antifungal medication.

Photography: Vasilis Kokkoris