As part of the ongoing international collaboration within the EU-funded MYCOBIOMICS project, FABI PhD students Alida van Dijk, Carlynn Jacobs, and Jenna-Lee Price are currently in Austria, working closely with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). This visit is part of the broader Mycobiomics initiative which focuses on exploring fungal interactions and discovering new bioactive molecules using advanced omics technologies.

During the visit, Alida is investigating the secondary metabolite profiles of mutant and wildtype isolates of Fusarium circinatum, an important pine pathogen. Carlynn is working on elucidating the gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of moniliformin in Fusarium species and Penicillium melanoconidium. Jenna is focusing on functionally characterising the sporidesmin A gene cluster in Pseudopithomyces chartarum through a knock-out study.

The FABI team, led by Dr Neriman Yilmaz and Prof. Cobus Visagie, plays a key role in the Mycobiomics project, which continues to strengthen collaboration between research groups across South Africa, Austria, and other global partners. This collaboration contributes to significant new mycological knowledge generation.

Stay tuned for further updates from their research!