• Given the immense fungal biodiversity (with an estimated 2.2 to 3.8 million species of fungi worldwide [1]) and broad range of fungal habitats, fungi are
one of the best sources of natural bioactive compounds, with huge industrial and medicinal potential.
• Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are fungi that infect and kill arthropods.
• EPF produce unique secondary metabolites and rapidly adjust their metabolic outputs in response to changes in environmental conditions. [2] These
metabolites are usually produced transiently, in low quantities or not at all under laboratory conditions.
• With the market for commercial EPF biopesticides growing considerably in recent years, EPF secondary metabolites present an understudied and
biotechnologically valuable opportunity for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.
PROJECT AIM: Develop liquid culturing techniques of EPF to optimise metabolite production that facilitates structural elucidation and biological activity testing
