Exeter boosts global fight against antifungal resistance with £2.8m funding
hizopus arrhizus, by Alyssa Hudson
As the threat of drug‑resistant fungal infections grows into a serious global health concern, the University of Exeter is taking decisive action with groundbreaking funding to tackle antifungal resistance.
With an additional £1.1 million investment in its latest funding round, the University of Exeter’s pioneering FAILSAFE project has now directed a total of over £2.8 million in just one year to support 135 researchers worldwide. This fresh funding boost is empowering researchers to develop groundbreaking solutions that could mean the difference between prevention and crisis in the global fight against antifungal resistance.
Spearheading this vital work, the University of Exeter FAILSAFE project (Fungal AMR Innovations for LMICS: Solutions and Access For Everyone), backed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), is a pioneering initiative tackling antifungal drug resistance. The project aims to promote global innovations and solutions to tackle the health threat of fungal infections that are increasingly resistant to available treatments.
Fungal antimicrobial resistance poses a critical threat to both human health and global food security. Fungal infections can be devastating, particularly for vulnerable individuals such as children with leukaemia and those with compromised immune systems. As well as increasing the number of deaths due to fungal diseases, drug resistant fungal pathogens also jeopardise animal health, and essential crops that that sustain the global food supply.
Life-threatening fungal diseases claim as many lives annually as tuberculosis or malaria, yet the organisms responsible remain significantly understudied, and only a limited number of drugs are effective. These drugs are developing resistance, meaning they no longer work, thereby intensifying this urgent crisis. As part of the broader global challenge of AMR, which includes resistance to antibacterial drugs, fAMR demands immediate and coordinated global action.
Managed by the University of Exeter’s MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, with support from the NIHR Exeter BRC, FAILSAFE is dedicated to advancing research and solutions to the growing threat of fungal AMR, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of disease is greatest.
The newly awarded projects address five key areas:
- Investigating the drivers and threats of antifungal resistance
- Developing new antifungal drugs and formulations
- Enhancing surveillance of fungal pathogens and resistance to enable future R&DAdvancing research on vaccines against drug-resistant fungal pathogens
- Innovating new diagnostics for fungal infections
Professor Elaine Bignell, co-lead of FAILSAFE at the University of Exeter, said “We are thrilled to support a new cohort of outstanding researchers dedicated to addressing the global crisis of fungal AMR. This round of FAILSAFE funding reflects the extraordinary quality and diversity of applications we received from around the world. By investing in these 28 projects, we are not only advancing scientific discovery but also building vital research capacity in regions most affected by fungal diseases. We look forward to seeing the impact of these projects as they deliver tangible solutions to this urgent health challenge.”
Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR, said “Fungal antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat that affects humans, animals, and the environment, yet it remains one of the least studied areas of AMR research. Building on the success of the first round of 15 projects, I’m delighted that GAMRIF and the Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter are continuing their partnership. Together, we aim to strengthen the global fungal AMR research community and drive innovative, One Health solutions for low- and middle-income countries where the burden is greatest.”
In addition to funding groundbreaking research, FAILSAFE has established a collaborative global network of medical mycologists. Since its inception in November 2024, this community has rapidly grown to over 830 members spanning 82 countries uniting experts worldwide to confront the rising threat of fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. By fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and supporting innovation, the FAILSAFE community is playing a vital role in advancing the field of medical mycology.
For more information or to join this important network, visit: https://cmm-failsafe.com/become-a-member/
For further details on these exciting projects and the work being undertaken by FAILSAFE, visit: https://cmm-failsafe.com/
Funding went to the following projects:
| Lead institution | Country of Lead Institution | Project Title |
| Université Paris Saclay | FRANCE | Feline Assessment for Sporothricosis Testing (FAST-Cat) |
| Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd | South Africa | Expanding Wastewater Surveillance to Monitor Candida Species and Antifungal Resistance in Healthcare Settings in Southern Africa |
| University of Oxford | UK | Generating and Showcasing AutoMated tool for Antifungal resistance Surveillance System (AMASS-FUNGI) |
| University of Aberdeen | UK | Fungal Cell Wall Targeting Immunotherapies; A New Approach For The Treatment Of Drug Resistant Invasive Fungal Infections |
| Rostra Therapeutics Ltd | UK | Developing novel medicines in India to treat endemic fungal infections and address the threat of antimicrobial resistance. |
| Fluminense Federal University | Brazil | Fungal extracellular vesicles as a platform for vaccine development. |
| Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Repurposing CNS-penetrant therapeutics for the treatment of cerebral cryptococcosis in a mouse model of CD4 T cell deficiency. |
| mycoBiologics Limited | UK | Combating Candidemia: Targeting Biofilms and Antimicrobial Resistance to Reduce Incidence and Mortality in Brazil |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | UK | Targeting fungal keratitis in LMICs: Structure-guided optimization and in vivo validation of a novel antifungal class |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia | Colombia | Development of a Nanoencapsulated Amphotericin B Formulation and Its Ex Vivo Evaluation in Porcine Skin and Mucosal Models for Mucormycosis |
| Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)/Carlos Chagas Institute | Brazil | Evaluating MMV1593537 as a Novel Antifungal Strategy Against Drug-Resistant Candidozyma (Candida) auris |
| Aga Khan University, Karachi | Pakistan | Exploring prevalence, genomics, clinical outcome, psychosocial, financial and quality of life impact of antifungal resistant dermatophyte infections in Pakistan |
| University of Exeter | United Kingdom | BAL2039 -A Novel anti-Cryptococcal treatment Evaluation – pre-clinical optimization through in-vitro and animal model studies (BALANCE-1) to inform phase 2 and 3 human trials |
| National University of the Litoral | Argentina | Tackling Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus Through Environmental Monitoring and Policy |
| Carlos Chagas Institute of Fiocruz | Brazil | Exploring the mechanisms behind the anti-cryptococcal potential of an extracellular vesicle tripeptide targeting dipeptidyl peptidase 4 |
| University of Exeter | UK | Worming away at fungi: helminth secreted products as a new class of antifungal therapeutics |
| Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd | South Africa | SCARS: Surveillance of Candida Antifungal Resistance in the Southern African Region |
| University of the Free State (UFS) | South Africa | Potential of topical sapienic acid-rich lipids to prevent skin colonisation by Candida auris. |
| Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) | Brazil | Advancing Treatment Options for Feline Sporotrichosis: Evaluating D13 in Clinical Trials |
| Global Action for Fungal Infections (GAFFI) | UK | A collection of proven, probable, possible and control cases of Fungal Disease to develop AI Fungal Disease algorithms. |
| University of Birmingham | UK | Enhancing fluconazole efficacy and precision through novel molecular and nanoscale approaches. |
| KU Leuven | Belgium | In Vivo Efficacy Of An Innovative Vaccine Approach Targeting Debilitating And Life-Threatening Mucorales Infections |
| University of the Free State | South Africa | Understanding genome and cell surface protein evolution during echinocandin-induced cell wall remodelling in Candida species to identify biomarkers for rapid detection of drug resistance |
| Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University | Thailand | Strengthening Agricultural Biosecurity in Southeast Asia: A Multinational Biobank Initiative for WHO Filamentous Fungal Pathogens to Enhance Pathogen Monitoring and Resistance Detection |
| Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB) | Colombia | Analytical validation of electrochemical immunosensor prototype for the diagnosis of Histoplasmosis |
| IMU University | Malaysia | Identification of new fungal Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored wall transfer protein 1 (GWT1) inhibitors. |
| University of Manchester | UK | Developing approaches to limit the impact of agricultural fungicides in driving clinical antifungal resistance |
