The HKU-Pasteur Research Centre has organized on June 27-28, 2000, a round table on emerging mycoses, supported by the Croucher Foundation. The meeting was organized with the participation of the HKU-Pasteur Centre team (Pr Antoine Danchin, Drs Marie-Francoise Saron and Agnieszka Sekowska), with scientists from Paris (Pr Bernard Dujon, Molecular Biology of Yeast Unit and Pr Jean-Paul Latgé, Aspergillus Unit) and from the HKU Department of Microbiology (Pr KY Yuen, Drs P. Woo and S. Wong and other staff members).
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The aim of the workshop was to foster collaboration between various specialists of dangerous pathogens using functional/comparative genomics. The topic was on diseases caused by pathogenic fungi such as Penicillium marneffei, a unique pathogen of Southeast Asia, investigating fundamental questions which might lead to the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of these infections.The meeting has been very successful as many unpublished important data have been presented – such as a new gene of Aspergillus fumigatus useful for diagnosis and vaccination interests - and as the scientists agreed to initiate a joint research programme, exchanging biological reagents and samples on the spot. Scientists also took appointment for another meeting within 6 months, this time in France. Transfer of technology from the Institut Pasteur to HKU has already begun. The HKU-Pasteur RC will support collaborative efforts in research, teaching and vaccination involving these fungi.
Investigators in HKU actively are working on the molecular biology of Penicillium marneffei, and have patented the first and only gene of this fungus (MP1) encoding an antigenic cell wall mannoprotein. The results of this research has been put into clinical use in the serodiagnosis of penicilliosis marneffei. HKU investigators are also working on another mannoprotein gene in Aspergillus fumigatus which could be useful for diagnostic and immunization purposes.
