MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM)
Applications for fully-funded studentships starting September 2024 are now open.
The Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) at the University of Exeter is one of the most ambitious strategic investments in UK medical mycology. The MRC CMM is a world-leading research centre that is helping to tackle the major global threats to human health caused by fungal diseases. In fact, fungal infections now kill more people worldwide than malaria and similar numbers to tuberculosis. The Centre brings together researchers from the fields of medicine and living systems, and the biological, chemical, physical and mathematical sciences to increase our understanding of fungal pathogens and cognate immune defences, and to identify new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat fungal diseases. A major activity of the MRC CMM is to increase UK capacity in fundamental and clinical research in medical mycology through research and training programmes for medical and biosciences students and early career researchers. The Centre has established strategic interactions with other national and international groups is promoting public engagement and understanding of our science.
Fungal infections have an enormous impact on morbidity and mortality, yet their influence on human health is not widely appreciated. These infections remain understudied, compared to other infectious diseases, and there is a pressing need for more research in this field to improve patient outcomes.
Three priority areas require our urgent attention:
1. The need for robust, rapid, simple and cheaper diagnostics;
2. The need for safer and more effective antifungal drugs; and
3. The need for better understanding of fungal virulence and host antifungal immunity.
