Canada set to lose irreplaceable 'treasure trove' of fungi

Canadians could soon lose access to a unique public collection of fungi that scientists say is crucial for important research, such as developing new drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant pathogens and treatments for fungal diseases emerging in a warmer climate.

The public biobank at the UAMH Centre for Global Microfungal Biodiversity at the University of Toronto is a "treasure trove" of 12,000 strains of fungi collected since 1933, said James Scott, a professor at U of T's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and director of the centre.

"We are really the only one of those in Canada for fungi," he said, adding that it's used by Canadian researchers from industry, public health labs and colleges and universities.

It's also billed as the largest collection of disease-causing fungi in the Western hemisphere, providing a precious opportunity for scientists in Canada to research those diseases and their treatments.

But it has run out of funding. 

Unless a government or other funder steps up, the collection will likely be sent overseas. When that happens, accessing them will cost a lot more and require lots of paperwork, Scott predicts.

"In some cases, it may not be possible," he said, especially with some disease-causing fungi or specimens originating from certain countries.

Last week, Scott wrote a letter to Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli describing the "dire situation" facing the centre, noting that Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently announced a $143-million investment in a life sciences strategy for Ontario.

"Securing the future of this biorepository, which is already recognized as a world-leading reference library of living microfungi, would be an easy win for Premier Ford's life sciences initiative," Scott wrote.

As of Wednesday, he hadn't heard back yet.

The collection contains thousands of strains of fungi from more than 3,200 species — including some that have likely never been described by science — gathered over nearly a century. They're in little vials, freeze-dried or stored in tanks of nitrogen vapour or under water or mineral oil, waiting to be revived as needed.

About two-thirds of the strains in the Canadian fungal library are unique to this collection and found in no other fungal repository in the world, Scott said.

Half the specimens are from Canada, and they represent ecosystems ranging from Pelee Island to the High Arctic.

Mary Berbee, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia who uses the collection, noted that unlike most plants and animals, fungi "live their whole lives hidden," such as underground or in another organism.