UNT Researcher Earns $1.4M Keck Foundation Grant to Study Greenhouse Production of Fungal-Derived Medicines

Researchers in the University of North Texas BioDiscovery Institute have secured a $1.4 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation — the first Keck grant in UNT history — to explore the potential to develop fungal-derived pharmaceuticals like penicillin in plant hosts for more accessible and environmentally sustainable medicine.

This first-of-its-kind study will establish a new concept for producing valuable fungal products and may ultimately lead to medicines that can be delivered in plant seeds, eliminating downstream processing.