The MRC Centre for Medical Mycology

🔬 3D rendering of Candida parapsilosis yeast and pseudohyphae, stained to visualise mannan in the cell wall and vacuoles.

Data: Andor Dragonfly spinning disk confocal | 3D processing in IMARIS by @darrenthomson.bsky.social Head of MYCOscopy, MRC CMM.

#MedicalMycology #Microscopy #ImageOfTheWeek

🚨 Save the date! 🚨
🌍FAILSAFE’s first international conference: Tackling the Global Threat of Fungal AMR
📅 9–10 Nov 2026 | Bangkok, Thailand
Join global fAMR leaders, researchers & ECRs to explore drug discovery, One Health, & clinical management.

#FungalAMR #FAILSAFE

Delighted to welcome Tony Kay, OBE, from the British Embassy in Brasília to the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology. Very grateful for UK Government's FCDO support as we build global partnerships to tackle major challenges in medical mycology.

🔬 Eduardo is exploring what drives virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans. Using calcofluor white staining and fluorescence microscopy, he’s able to visualise bright‑blue, chitin‑rich cell walls that reveal striking differences between strains.

#Science #Mycology #Microscopy #ImageOfTheWeek

A significant piece of research towards future frameworks to improve outcomes for co-infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Cryptococcus neoformans. Congratulations to all involved!

We were pleased to contribute to the South West Paediatrics Medical Student Conference 2026 in Bristol, hosted by the Bristol University Medical Student Paediatric Society. Rachel Etherington & Dr Eva Wooding presented their work on fungal infections in paediatrics and public & patient involvement.

🚨 Applications open! 🚨

Medical students: Apply for our 8-week Summer Scholarship in medical mycology. Gain lab experience, study design & data analysis skills, no prior expertise needed!

📍 Exeter or partner institutions
📅 Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
👉 buff.ly/PrpeVN4

🔬✨ Join us this week for #MycoTalks with George Deepe and Tamara Doering.
📅 26 February 2026
⏰ 4:00 PM (UK time)
📍Online
👉 Register here: buff.ly/mzkil6W

This image by Dr Alyssa Hudson, captured as part of her fellowship funded by Noah's Pink Balloon Leukaemia Fund, shows Rhizopus arrhizus, the leading cause of mucormycosis. Orange fluorescence marks a diagnostic antibody developed by University of Exeter spin-out ISCA Diagnostics Ltd.

Professor Salomé Leibundgut-Landmann elected to the American Academy of Microbiology Professor Salomé Leibundgut-Landmann from the University of Exeter has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology, recognising her pioneering research into fungal infections and immunity.

Congratulations to Professor Salomé LeibundGut-Landmann, who was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology! This prestigious honour reflects her major contributions to medical mycology. A fantastic achievement, congratulations from all of us at the MRC CMM!

buff.ly/VCDRFR9.

🌐#MycoClinics
Join us for the next MycoClinics session on Trauma‑Associated Fungal Infections
📅 5 March
⏰ 4:00 PM (UK Time)
💻 Online – Register: buff.ly/lJTTS2I
🎤 Speaker: Sarah Dellière
Associate Professor in Clinical Mycology
Talk: Invasive fungal infections in patients with severe burn injuries

🚨 Applications open! 🚨

Medical students: Apply for our 8-week Summer Scholarship in medical mycology. Gain lab experience, study design & data analysis skills, no prior expertise needed!

📍 Exeter or partner institutions
📅 Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
👉 buff.ly/PrpeVN4

Celebrating the brilliant fungi‑inspired work created by Exeter College Fashion & Textiles students 🌱🧵✨

A fantastic example of how art and medical mycology can spark fresh ideas and new perspectives.

#ScienceArt #Mycology #Fungi #SciComm #STEM #ImageOfTheWeek

A paper by @darrenthomson.bsky.social @rebeccacminman.bsky.social Sophie Nye & @elainebignell.bsky.social has been selected for the journal cover of the Journal of Microscopy special issue on Microscopy and Infectious Disease.

Congratulations to the authors!

🔗 buff.ly/s03EP0S

Looking for a new challenge? There are 3 Postdoc roles available at the MRC CMM - click below for details and how to apply!

🔬✨ Join us for this month's #MycoTalks with George Deepe and Tamara Doering.
📅 26 February 2026
⏰ 4:00 PM (UK time)
📍Online
👉 Register here: buff.ly/mzkil6W

🚨 Applications open! 🚨

Medical students: Apply for our 8-week Summer Scholarship in medical mycology. Gain lab experience, study design & data analysis skills, no prior expertise needed!

📍 Exeter or partner institutions
📅 Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
👉 buff.ly/PrpeVN4

🔬 3D super‑resolution image of Candida albicans, highlighting chitin and β‑1,3 glucan in its yeast and pseudohyphal forms.

Captured on Andor Dragonfly by @fungalhyphae at the MRC CMM.

@oxfordinstruments.bsky.social

#ImageOfTheWeek #FungalBiology #Microscopy

🔬✨ There's still time to register for #MycoTalks with Iuliana Ene and Bernhard Hube.
📅 29 January 2026
⏰ 4:00 PM (UK time)
📍 Online
👉 Register here: buff.ly/M4wg4KJ

🦠 Hospitals face a silent killer: Candida auris. This drug-resistant fungus is spreading globally, threatening vulnerable patients. Exeter researchers found iron hunting pumps, a survival trick that could be its Achilles’ heel.

🔗 Learn more 👉 buff.ly/8IN0w4r.

#ImageOfTheWeek #Science #Health

🚨 Applications open! 🚨

Medical students: Apply for our 8-week Summer Scholarship in medical mycology. Gain lab experience, study design & data analysis skills, no prior expertise needed!

📍 Exeter or partner institutions
📅 Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
👉 buff.ly/PrpeVN4

🥊💥 You breathe fungi every day! Aspergillus fumigatus is usually harmless but for those with weak immunity or lung disease, it can be deadly.

🔍 Blue = fungal hyphae
🟣 Purple = immune cells trapping fungus

📸 Mariano Malamud Guillan & @darrenthomson.bsky.social

#ImageOfTheWeek

Catch our new review on amphotericin B resistance in fugal pathogens. doi.org/10.1016/j.tc.... @mrccmm.bsky.social @youngecmm.bsky.social @ishamycology.bsky.social @youngisham.bsky.social @bsmm-meeting.bsky.social

Scientists at MRC CMM & collaborators discover how Mycobacterium tuberculosis harnesses the immune system to cause infection.

Gordon Brown @mrccmm.bsky.social Claire Hoving @uct-fhs-research.bsky.social @maxgg.bsky.social @crick.ac.uk @wellcometrust.bsky.social

Read more:

Congrats to Dr Iana Kalinina & Dr Duncan Wilson for featuring on mBio’s December cover!

Their study shows how “Goliath” cells formed under zinc limitation drive biofilm formation.

Cover: buff.ly/xfz8aEH
Article: buff.ly/WqvpK25

#Microbiology #Research #ImageOfTheWeek

🔬✨ #MycoTalks is back for 2026!
Join us for the first MycoTalks of the year featuring Iuliana Ene and Bernhard Hube.
📅 29 January 2026
⏰ 4:00 PM (UK time)
📍 Online
👉 Register here: buff.ly/JbBeC6i
Don’t miss this exciting start to our 2026 MycoTalks!

@ene-lab.bsky.social @mpm-hki.bsky.social

🚨 Applications open! 🚨

Medical students: Apply for our 8-week Summer Scholarship in medical mycology. Gain lab experience, study design & data analysis skills, no prior expertise needed!

📍 Exeter or partner institutions
📅 Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
👉 buff.ly/PrpeVN4

MRC CMM's Hugh Gifford & Rhys Farrer have uncovered an 'Achilles heel' in Candida auris, a deadly fungal pathogen. This breakthrough could lead to new treatments & drug repurposing to fight life-threatening infections.

Read more 👉 buff.ly/bUjIXJP.

#PublicHealth #ScienceNews #FungalInfections

🧠 What does it take to study a brain infection?

PhD student Will is converting cells to investigate how the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans behaves.

The big moment? Seeing the IBA1-stained cells glowing green under the microscope, a sign the transformation worked!

#Science

It’s cold in Exeter, but not as cold as our cryostorage. At –195.7°C we preserve 10,000+ cell vials for long-term infection & immunology research. Strict safety protocols, trained staff, and robust infrastructure keep our samples and our team safe.

#Mycology #STEM #STEMCareers #LabTech