Post by A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs - A*STAR IDL

On 7 and 8 October 2024, A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL) hosted the Emerging Fungal Infections Symposium - Understanding and Confronting Fungal Infections - an Underappreciated Public Health Threat. This two full day event was proudly co-organised with Institut Pasteur (IP), National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS), and in close partnership with Temasek Foundation.   Fungal infections pose a significant global health challenge, impacting over one billion individuals and claiming ~3.8 million lives annually. The emergence and evolution of fungal pathogens resistant to all major classes of antifungals severely limit treatment options. Climate change and the emergence of novel fungal pathogens also threaten to further compound this challenge in the coming decades.   A*STAR IDL firmly believes that scientific excellence in research and innovation is critical for translational impact towards enhancing health, supporting industry outcomes and responding to future pandemics. Hence, in response to this urgent issue, this symposium brought together more than 100 participants, including scientific experts from around the world such as France, UK, US, China, Korea, India, and within our local community, focusing on various crucial aspects of fungal diseases. By fostering collaborative efforts and sharing insights, the event advanced our understanding of fungal infections, explore cutting-edge treatment strategies, and ultimately work towards effective solutions.   The event also marks the start of the Temasek Foundation International Network Programme for Infectious Diseases Partnerships and Preparedness (TF-IGNITE) - a platform to promote connectivity and impactful collaborations among global and regional experts to tackle global infectious diseases challenges.   On behalf of the organising committee co-chairs, Prof Wang Yue (A*STAR IDL) and Prof Christophe d'Enfert (Institut Pasteur), we are tremendously honoured to have leaders in the field who generously shared their expertise, including Prof. Neil Gow (University of Exeter, UK) and Prof. Julian Naglik (King's College London, UK), as our keynote speakers.   Special mention - Our deepest appreciation goes out to Temasek Foundation for their unwavering support!   Not forgetting our dear company sponsors such as Vazyme Biotech Singapore, NovogeneAIT Genomics Singapore and SDT Molecular! Alicia Corbellini Piffer Ana Traven Thomas Dawson Lakshminarayanan Rajamani Sanhita Roy Leovigildo Rey Alaban Yong-Sun Bahn Jessica Quintin Clement Tsui BING ZHAI Won Hee Jung Rajesh Patkar Yuan Qiao Darren Shu Jeng Ting #ASTARforSG #creatinggrowth #enhancinglives #populationhealth #infectiousdiseases #institutpasteur #temasekfoundation