Canadian training program on the evolution of fungal pathogens: EvoFunPath

真菌是最致命的人类病原体之一，也是迄今为止加拿大农业和林业中最昂贵的植物病原体。每年，超过50万加拿大人受到真菌感染的影响。一些病原真菌已经导致榆树、板栗和白松等树木的整个种群消失，并威胁到蝙蝠和两栖动物的多样性。在农业方面，仅在北美，真菌疾病和霉菌毒素污染每年造成的损失就高达数十亿美元。加拿大公司和政府机构一直在与真菌进化出更高致病性的能力作斗争，并对目前可用的有限数量的缓解策略产生抵抗力。加拿大需要具备真菌病原体最新知识和技术以及领导和创业技能的高素质人员，以开发控制和预防真菌疾病的创新解决方案。我们正在提议开发一个关于真菌病原体进化的泛加拿大跨学科培训计划(EvoFunPath)，以该领域的多学科加拿大和国际专家为中心。在接下来的6年里，69名硕士、博士和博士后EvoFunPath研究员将接受培训，并为在学术界、加拿大公司和政府机构任职做好准备。这些研究员还将拥有开发新技术解决方案和在加拿大各地创建新公司所需的技能。EvoFunPath研究员将准备广泛贡献他们的专业知识，以确保向加拿大人提供安全的食品，减少真菌对人类和农业健康的有害影响，并维护我们自然和管理的生态系统的完整性。

Fungi are amongst the deadliest human pathogens, and by far, the costliest plant pathogens in agriculture and forestry in Canada. Every year, more than half a million Canadians are affected by fungal infections. Some pathogenic fungi have led to the disappearance of entire populations of trees such as elms, chestnuts, and white pines, and threaten bat and amphibian diversity. In agriculture, the cost of fungal diseases and mycotoxin contaminations is several billion dollars of losses a year in North America alone. Canadian companies and government agencies are constantly contending with the ability of fungi to evolve higher pathogenicity and resistance to the limited number of mitigation strategies that are currently available. Canada needs highly qualified personnel equipped with the latest knowledge and technologies on fungal pathogens, and the leadership and entrepreneurship skills to develop innovative solutions that will control and prevent fungal diseases. We are proposing to develop a pan-Canadian interdisciplinary training program on the evolution of fungal pathogens (EvoFunPath) centered around multidisciplinary Canadian and international experts in the field. Over the next 6 years, 69 MSc, Ph.D., and postdoctoral EvoFunPath fellows will be trained and ready for positions in academia, Canadian companies, and government agencies. These fellows will also have the skills needed to develop new technological solutions and to create new companies across Canada. EvoFunPath fellows will be prepared to broadly contribute their expertise towards ensuring the delivery of safe food to Canadians, reducing the detrimental effects of fungi on human and agricultural health, and towards maintaining the integrity of our natural and managed ecosystems.