Project description
Decoding what makes fungi deadly
Fungal infections are a serious global threat: invasive Candida infections kill around 40 % of those affected. While related non-pathogenic species exist, scientists still do not fully understand what makes some fungi deadly and others harmless. The ERC-funded FungalPath project aims to uncover the molecular roots of fungal pathogenicity. Specifically, it will combine molecular profiling using advanced mass spectrometry with high-throughput phenotyping to compare diverse yeast pathogens with their non-pathogenic relatives. The researchers will study and simulate how fungi adapt and how they interact with the human body, identifying traits and metabolic adaptations that distinguish pathogenic from harmless species. This will provide insights that could improve infection control, guide treatments and help predict the emergence of new fungal threats.
Objective
Fungal infections pose a serious medical threat, especially when they invade the bloodstream. The most common cause of fungal bloodstream infections is invasive candidemia, primarily attributed to a small group of pathogens, including Candida albicans, Nakaseomyces glabratus, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis. Such infections are associated with crude mortality rates nearing 40%. Increasing numbers of very closely related yet non-pathogenic species have been sequenced and identified. However, a functional understanding of what differentiates them from their pathogenic counterparts is lacking. As fungal pathogenicity is a multifactorial trait that is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, it is hard to explain directly from genomic data. This proposal aims to address these challenges by integrating molecular data with physiological contexts across a broad set of species with varying pathogenicity. By leveraging recent advances in mass spectrometry-based analytics that allow for large-scale molecular profiling of both microbial pathogens and human biofluids, combined with high-throughput methods for deep phenotyping of microbial isolates, and by using and identifying scalable yet physiologically relevant growth conditions and infection-relevant phenotypes, we aim to (1) identify adaptations required for pathogenicity and their molecular basis; (2) identify infection-relevant phenotypes and metabolic differences that distinguish pathogenic from non-pathogenic species; and (3) obtain a quantitative understanding of host-pathogen physiology and their interactions. Thus, we aim to uncover traits, phenotypes, and conditions that enable and intersect with pathogenicity. These breakthroughs will be critical for managing and combating these life-threatening infections and predicting the future emergence of human fungal pathogens.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10117 Berlin
Germany
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