🎄 Merry Christmas from the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology 🎄 Wishing all our followers, collaborators, students and staff a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! 🧫 📸 Mark Stappers & Ian Leaves

🎶 …and a partridge in a petri 🎶 The labs are feeling festive! Some of our team have decorated their petri-tree, complete with an Eppendorf star 🌟 Thanks to Will Newton, @orlandorosss.bsky.social Abby Potton, @harry-osborne.bsky.social and Matheus Araujo for spreading the cheer! #ImageOfTheWeek

🥼MSc Immunology - Now accepting applications for 2026 entry. Elevate your future with advanced immune-cytomic training and expert-led teaching in the latest breakthroughs in immunology Find out more and apply: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/postgr...

CMM International Fund for Global Advancement of Medical Mycology! Thanks to everyone who joined our recent webinar and Q&A session. If you missed it, find our more about the fund and application process here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/med...

Before imaging, cells get a gentle rinse for crystal-clear microscopic details. PhD student Will is reprogramming blood cells into brain-like cells to study how Cryptococcus neoformans behaves during infection. #MedicalMycology #FungalInfections #Microscopy #LabLife #PhDLife

Looks like Arctic icebergs? Think again. ❄️ These are air bubbles trapped between a cover slip and a slide under the microscope. 🔬 📸 Alex Brand What’s the most striking image you’ve captured in your work? #Science #ScienceArt #Microscopy

🎨🔬 Art meets Science! 50 Exeter College Fashion & Textiles students teamed up with MRC CMM researchers to explore fungi & create stunning designs. We enjoyed an inspiring evening of art and science, while celebrating the students achievements 👏 #STEM #ScienceArt

The 12th International Conference on Cryptococcus & Cryptococcosis (ICCC), hosted by the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the University of Exeter, and will take place on 28th June - 3rd July 2026, in Exeter, UK. Find out more: iccc2026.org

🌍 Fighting deadly fungal infections! MRC CMM AFRICA Unit & @pasteur.fr trained 24 clinicians & lab techs from Africa & Asia to boost diagnosis & treatment skills. Fungal infections kill 2M yearly, expertise saves lives. 🔗 buff.ly/yjxChfN @nihr.bsky.social @nihrexeterbrc.bsky.social

🌍 Final day of our Medical Mycology Training Course in Cape Town! 24 clinicians & lab techs from Africa & Asia joined forces to tackle deadly fungal infections through hands-on labs & expert-led sessions. Learn more 👉 cmm-failsafe.com #GlobalHealth #MedicalMycology

🔬 #imageoftheweek ¦ Aspergillus fumigatus colony cultured at 37C in Aspergillus Complete Medium (ACM). This filamentous fungus is blue-green in appearance, with radial grooves and concentric rings reflecting its growth dynamics. 📸 Alberto Munoz #mycology #aspergillus #fungi

Join us for our next #MycoClinics with Fanny Laternier and Jop Jons. 🗓️ Thursday 11 December 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! Register here: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #Phaehyphomycosis #Magnusiomyces

Great to see @orlandorosss.bsky.social sharing his PhD research and representing the MRC CMM at #BSI25 🧫

🌍 This week, MRC CMM AFRICA Unit hosts the Medical Mycology Training Workshop 2025 at @uct-fhs-research.bsky.social Cape Town. 5 days of: ✅ Expert lectures ✅ Case-based discussions ✅ Hands-on lab training Follow along for updates!

🔬 #ImageOfTheWeek We’re developing a new microscopy technique, pushing the boundaries of fungal imaging. Before going in vivo, we’re validating ex vivo to ensure what we see is accurate. Here’s our new probe + 2 control proteins after purification 💡 #Microscopy #Fluorescence

18 Fully Funded PhD Studentships – October 2026 Start Join our BBSRC-funded doctoral programme in Infection Biosciences, tackling global challenges like emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, and food insecurity. Learn more & apply: www.surrey.ac.uk/wessex-one-h...

🚨SWBio DTP PhD Opportunity 🚨 Join the teams of Prof. Elaine Bignell, Dr Sandra Catania & Dr Johannes Rack to unravel how epigenetic changes drive fungal development and virulence. Multi-omics, genetics & microscopy on WHO medical pathogens. More info: buff.ly/dTgOHYG Apply: buff.ly/iuVttsJ

🧫 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 🧫 Antifungal resistance is a growing threat. At the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, we’re working together to advance new diagnostics & treatments, & building global research capacity to protect health worldwide. #AMR #DrugDiscovery #Science #Health

#ImageOfTheWeek ¦ The Fungal Superhighway 🧫 Cryptococcus neoformans (blue) moving through mouse nose tissue (pink). This image is the first time it’s been seen in this formation in the airways. 📸 Dr Vanessa Francis, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology #FungalInfection #Mycology #Science

🌍New Funding Alert! Apply for the CMM International Fund: up to £30k over 2 years for globally collaborative medical mycology research. FAPESP-funded PhD & Postdoctoral opportunities available for partnerships with researchers in São Paulo State, Brazil 🔗 www.exeter.ac.uk/research/med...

Global impact in medical mycology! 🌍 Congrats to Professor Gordon Brown, Director of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, named among the world’s most influential researchers in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers™ 2025 list. Read more: buff.ly/9Ln9ZS5

🚨SWBio DTP PhD Opportunity 🚨 Join the teams of Prof. Elaine Bignell, Dr Sandra Catania & Dr Johannes Rack to unravel how epigenetic changes drive fungal development and virulence. Multi-omics, genetics & microscopy on WHO medical pathogens. More info: buff.ly/dTgOHYG Apply: buff.ly/iuVttsJ

🧫Preparing agar plates Scientists use agar plates to grow fungi, which are petri dishes filled with nutrient-rich growth media. 🧑‍🔬 Ian is adding Bromocresol green, a pH indicator which turns yellow in acidic conditions. As fungi grow, the media turns yellow! #mycology

Join us this week for #MycoTalks with Eric Dang and Minh-Hong Nguyen 🗓️ Thursday 20 November 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! 🔗 Register here: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

🍄🖋 #imageoftheweek ¦ A sketch of Shaggy Ink Cap mushrooms, drawn using ink from the mushrooms themselves! Art meets nature, thanks to Professor @neil-gow.bsky.social 🌳

📣 Join the MRC CMM team 📣 Dr Johannes Rack's team are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to explore a new area of research: how fungal ADP-ribosylation signalling influences Aspergillus fumigatus survival, virulence, and diseases progression. Deadline: 23 November 25

Catch up on #MycoTalks Season 6 Episode 1 - Angie Gelli and Tuo Wang: youtu.be/gumk_Ye280E Episode 2 - Bernd Schnabl and Michal Olszewski: youtu.be/Yv6uNNp_TLg

📣 Join the MRC CMM team 📣 Dr Johannes Rack's team are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to explore a new area of research: how fungal ADP-ribosylation signalling influences Aspergillus fumigatus survival, virulence, and diseases progression. Deadline: 23 November 25

Join us for our next #MycoTalks with Eric Dang and Minh-Hong Nguyen 🗓️ Thursday 20 November 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! 🔗 Register now to secure your spot: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

🎆 Fungal fireworks! 🎆 This #imageoftheweek shows Trichophyton, the fungus behind athlete’s foot & ringworm. It is a mould, which forms spores that germinate and grow long, thin strands called hyphae. 📸 Mark Stappers, Ian Leaves and Darren Thomson, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology

🚨 CMM LATAM Unit website is now live 🚨 Explore the CMM LATAM unit, established by University of São Paulo, Brazil and the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (CMM). 🌍 Explore cutting edge research 🎓 Discover funding and training opportunities 🛡️ Join the FAILSAFE network cmm-latam.com

👻 This creepy critter isn’t a Halloween costume, it’s Trichophyton - a fungus that causes athlete’s foot & ringworm! 🧟Seen under the microscope, it looks like it’s reaching out to haunt your skin🎃 📸 Mark Stappers #imageoftheweek #halloweenscience #halloween #fungi

#imageoftheweek ¦ Screening a library of mutant fungi Scientists at the Centre often remove or 'knock out' a particular gene to see how it affects the fungi's response to different antifungal drugs, to deepen understanding & improve outcomes for patients.

Join us this week for #MycoTalks with Bernd Schnabl and Michal Olszewski @olszewskilab.bsky.social 🗓️ Thursday 23 October 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! 🔗 Register now to secure your spot: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

This weekend we've been at the @newscientist.com Live event at London ExCel. We've seen thousands of people keen to learn about the global threat of fungal infections and answered some really tricky questions, such as 'Are fungal spores soft or hard?'. #outreach #STEM #engagement

🔬 #imageoftheweek ¦ Candida albicans goliath cells Goliath cells are oversized, ultra-sticky yeast cells formed when Candida albicans is starved of zinc. They cling to plastic and build biofilms, making them a potential culprit in hospital infections. 🧫 🔗 buff.ly/JikHPLM 📸 Iana Kalinina

🎉 Preparations are underway for New Scientist Live 2025 🎉 🧫 Ian, one of our fabulous Research Technicians, is making sure the fungi are looking their best, ready to wow the crowds! 📅 Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October 📍 New Scientist Live, Excel London, stand G24 🔗 buff.ly/MCuaJX4

🧠🌿 A full house at Sidmouth Science Festival yesterday for Prof @neil-gow.bsky.social talk on the fascinating world of fungi, supported by Ian Leaves. From deadly infections to life-saving research at the MRC CMM, visitors explored killer fungi through microscopes & stunning artwork! 🔬🎨

Encouraging to find a packed audience at the Sidmouth Science Festival to hear about how good and bad fungi shape the world. @mrccmm.bsky.social. Also thanks to Ian Leaves for mycohelp. @britmycolsoc.org.uk @bsmm-meeting.bsky.social @youngecmm.bsky.social @youngisham.bsky.social

This week we welcomed the Textiles Diploma students from Exeter College. They were visiting the Centre to inspire them to create their own mycology artwork. Previous students have created amazing artworks for us and we can't wait to see what this year's intake produce. #Engagement #Art #Fashion

🧪 #imageoftheweek Cutting-edge science in action at #Candida25 Talks from Catrin Williams, Hugh Gifford, Arnab Pradham, @harry-osborne.bsky.social @seanaduggan.bsky.social & @jusher.bsky.social revealed new disease models, fresh insights into Candida glabrata ⬇️ 🧵

Only 8 days to go until New Scientist Live! Find us at stand G24 to explore: 🧫 Different types of deadly fungi 🛡️ Fungal infections & their affect on our bodies 💉 Cutting-edge science to fight fungal infections 📍 Excel London 📅 18-19th October buff.ly/fV7qWt4

Hugh Gifford also giving an excellent talk on his work discovering xenosiderophore transporters in C. auris killifish infections @mrccmm.bsky.social #Candida2025

Last @mrccmm.bsky.social talk of the day from talented PhD candidate @harry-osborne.bsky.social about how cell wall targeting antifungals impact immune recognition to C. albicans.

I had a great time getting to present my work on the impact of Manogepix on antifungal immunity at Candida and Candidiasis yesterday! Some really great discussions at my poster! #Candida2025 @mrccmm.bsky.social

Fantastic start to day 2 with Arnab Pardhan discussing work from the group looking at niche-simulating media and the impact on PAMP exposure #Candida2025 @mrccmm.bsky.social

We recently welcomed Prof. Fiona Powrie and her team to the MRC CMM for the yearly Microbiome Cluster @mrcmousenetwork.bsky.social meeting. The Microbiome Cluster studies the impact of the microbiome on genetic diseases involving barrier surface malfunction. 🔗 Find out more buff.ly/zuLgJ1J

Join us for our next #MycoTalks with Bernd Schnabl and Michal Olszewski @olszewskilab.bsky.social 🗓️ Thursday 23 October 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! 🔗 Register now to secure your spot: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join us for our next #MycoTalks with Bernd Schnabl and Michal Olszewski 🗓️ Thursday 23 October 🕓 16:00 (UK time) 📍 Online – open to all! 🔗 Register now to secure your spot: universityofexeter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

🍄 It's UK Fungus Day! 🍄 Enter your best fungal photograph to the @britmycolsoc.org.uk #UKFungusDay photography competition or find one of 20 favourite fungi and add to the 'Find-a-Fungus' project on iNaturalist. 🔗 www.ukfungusday.co.uk