An innovative, interdisciplinary platform for the dissection of Pneumocystis, a deadly fungal pathogen of humans

我的研究项目的目标是在人类主要真菌病原体的研究中取得重大突破。肺孢子虫每年导致数十万人死亡，但只有少数几个小组正在研究这种病原体，因为目前不可能在体外培养它。我的目标是通过首次开发肺孢子虫的体外培养方法来释放这个主要的实验瓶颈。我将使用计算机代谢建模和实验表型的强大组合来解决这个问题。我的项目的潜在好处是巨大的。除了提供肺孢子虫病原体与其哺乳动物宿主的共同进化的主要见解外，我的项目还将使研究界能够在长期内导致肺孢子虫生物学和治疗的巨大进步。

The goal of my research project is to enable a vital breakthrough in the study of a major fungal pathogen of humans. Pneumocystis kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, and yet only a few groups are studying this pathogen because, currently, it is not possible to culture it in vitro independently of its host. My goal is to release this major experimental bottleneck by developing, for the first time, in vitro culture methods for Pneumocystis. I will address this using a powerful combination of in silico metabolic modelling and experimental phenotyping. The potential benefits of my project are vast. In addition to providing major insights into the co-evolution of Pneumocystis pathogens with their mammalian hosts, my project will empower the research community, leading, in the longer-term, to dramatic advances in Pneumocystis biology and therapy.