Center for Medical Mycology
The University Center for Medical Mycology (CMM) is a unique institutional resource for the study of fungal diseases from the test tube to the patient, which serves as a mycology reference center providing services to clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry. Basic science research is performed, as well as clinically relevant studies in fungal biology. The faculty and staff possess high ethical standards and are committed to being effective, responsible, and accountable.
Research
Research at the Center for Medical Mycology has been devoted to two main research areas:
- Basic science focusing on the determination of virulence factors and host-parasite interactions responsible for disease pathogenesis associated with fungal infection, and
- Clinical reference laboratory concentrating on the development of national standards for reference methods for anti-fungal susceptibility testing (including dermatophytes), and pre-clinical evaluation of anti-fungal therapies still under development.
Defining the Role of Bacteriome and Mycobiome in Health & Disease
The Director of the CMM, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, is an internationally recognized researcher working in the area of fungal pathogenesis. Dr. Ghannoum is currently the Marti D. and Jeffrey S. Davis Family Master Clinician in Cancer Innovation. Dr. Ghannoum's research is focused on defining the role of the bacteriome and mycobiome (the bacterial and fungal community) in health and disease. His expertise in the area of polymicrobial biofilms provides an important area of research in view of the recent association of polymicrobial biofilms in colorectal cancer and Crohn’s disease.
The IMC offers cutting edge sequencing technology for analysis of the micro- and myco-biomes (16S, ITS, bacterial genomics, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics). Full-service offerings are available including help with experimental design, nucleic acid isolation, generation of genomic data and data analysis.