Fungal Resistance Mechanisms

Title
Fungal Resistance Mechanisms

Our research addresses fungal resistance and tolerance, which are major challenges with far-reaching consequences for global agriculture and human health. We focus on uncovering how gene expression regulation contributes to the development and persistence of antifungal resistance and tolerance. In parallel, we investigate the antifungal potential of plant-derived compounds using advanced genomic approaches, with a particular emphasis on genome-wide CRISPR screens. By dissecting the genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive fungal resistance and tolerance, our lab is committed to developing innovative, sustainable antifungal strategies.


Research Areas:

  • Antifungal Resistance Mechanisms: Uncovering the genetic factors and molecular pathways that enable fungi to develop resistance to both synthetic fungicides and natural antifungal agents.

     

  • CRISPRi-Based Genomic Screening: Utilizing CRISPRi technology to perform unbiased, high-throughput screening to identify novel molecular pathways involved in antifungal resistance.

     

  • Plant-Derived Compounds: Investigating the antifungal properties of Plant-Derived compounds and their potential as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides.
     

Principal Researcher

Dr. Ofri Levi

Dr. Ofri Levi
Fungal Resistance Mechanisms
+972526264128

Our research addresses fungal resistance and tolerance, which are major challenges with far-reaching consequences for global agriculture and human health.

Latest Publications

Design, synthesis, and screening of an RNA optimized fluorinated fragment library

Kasper P. Lundquist, Isabella Romeo, Raffaele B. Puglielli, Maëlle Pestalozzi, Marie L. Gram,
Emily S. Hudson, Ofri Levi, Yoav S. Arava, Charlotte H. Gotfredsen, Mads H. Clausen
SLAS Discovery, Volume 31, March 2025, 100215
2025

Plant-fungal reciprocity of gene expression patterns in the maize-Cochliobolus heterostrophus interaction

Rina Zuchman, Ofri Levi, Adriana Rightmyer, Hee-Jin Park, Vivian Ng, Daniel Peterson, Roni Koren, Scott Baker, Benjamin A. Horwitz, B. Gillian Turgeon.
Under preparation
2024

Genome-Wide CRISPRi Screen Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Ferulic Acid's Antifungal Action and Its Synergistic Potential with Fluconazole

Ofri Levi, Rina Zuchman, Roni Koren, Hazem Khamaisi and Benjamin A. Horwitz
Under preparation
2024

Cytoplasmic sequestering of a fungal stress-activated MAPK in response to a host plant phenolic acid

Rina Zuchman, Roni Koren, Tamar Ziv, Yael Lupu-Haber, Nitsan Dahan, Ofri Levi, and Benjamin A. Horwitz
Research Square Preprint
2024

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