BAAM is investigating interactions between fungi and prions, and what fungal-applications there might be towards remediating prion-contaminated soil.

There are a number of significant prion diseases, but our group’s focus is primarily on chronic wasting disease (CWD), a looming ecological disaster with serious public-health implications. The environmental persistence of difficult-to-breakdown, disease-causing prions bears similarity with other contaminants. Numerous experiments have demonstrated the ability of fungi to digest otherwise-toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fossil fuels. We’d like to know if (and which) fungi might have application toward remediating soils of CWD prions.