The Imperial Fungal Science Network is a hub for the mycology community, providing a leadership, advocacy and communications platform for mycologists and a developmental framework for future leaders in fungal research. We welcome you to the Imperial Fungal Science Network – Seminar Series 2025 for a seminar programme highlighting the work of Early Career Researchers.
Seminar | ECR Talks | 12:00– 13:00 | Thursday 20th November
📍G47, Flowers Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ find us at Map/3A
- In-person & online (via Teams, click ‘Livestream’ button on LHS)
- No registration required
- This is a hybrid event to ensure that our non-London members/audience can join for the talks remotely; if you are joining us via the Teams link, please be aware that your email contact may show up to other meeting attendees, please join using an organisation email contact where possible, thanks.
Schedule
11:30
Arrivals & refreshments
11:55
Teams link opens for online attendees
12:00-12:05
Introductions & Network overview (Prof. Darius Armstrong-James)
12:05-13.05
Speaker Programme:
Biotechnology and engineering
Dr Thomas Gassler (Vorholt Lab, Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zurich; RLA Lab, Department of Bioengineering and Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, Imperial College London)
Inducing Novel Endosymbioses by Bacterial Implantation into Fungi – From Pathogenicity to Commensalism
In this study, we use fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM) to implant bacteria directly into fungal cells. We first transplant natural endosymbionts into a non-host fungus, then introduce a free-living bacterium to probe early endosymbiogenesis. Despite initial host stress, the bacterium is vertically transmitted and host defense attenuates, revealing a trajectory from antagonism toward commensalism. These results suggest a general route to endosymbiosis and establish a platform for engineering designer endosymbionts with novel functions.
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Pathogenesis of fungal diseases
Dr James Griffiths (Naglik Lab, Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, King’s College London)
The IL-1 Family Controls Acute Mucosal Fungal Infection and Mucosal-Systemic Dissemination
How the host controls mucosal infection and prevents fungal dissemination remains unclear but is essential for improving disease outcomes. Here, we demonstrate that C. albicans induces specific IL-1 family members that are critical for mucosal protection. Loss of combined IL-1 family signalling led to severe mucosal C. albicans infection, which was eventually resolved by a potent neutrophil response. However, under neutropenic conditions, abolishing IL-1 family signalling resulted in fungal dissemination, mirroring clinical disease and leading to mortality. These findings identify the IL-1 family as a key initiator of mucosal immunity that restricts local invasion and cooperates with neutrophils to prevent life-threatening systemic infection.
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Ecology, evolution and the environment
Dr Theo Llewellyn (Vogler Lab, Leverhulme Centre for the Holobiont, Imperial College London and Natural History Museum)
A Case of Invasive Holobionts
The eight-toothed bark beetle (Ips typographus), a major European forest pest, was recently introduced into the UK. Through community metabarcoding, we show that these beetles have also brought previously unrecorded fungal phytopathogens with them. The combined impact of this invasive beetle-fungus complex poses a serious threat to UK spruce and pine forests.
13:05
Close
Researchers interested in the Network can find more information and join the Network via the dedicated website / Follow us @ImperialFungal (BlueSky; X/Twitter)