Endo-Fights: Unlocking Medicinal Targets from Endophytic and Endosymbiotic Fungi
Drug-resistant infections are rising, with pathogens like Candida and Mycobacterium tuberculosis becoming harder to treat. This research explores endophytic and endosymbiotic fungi—organisms that produce unique chemical defenses—as a source of new antimicrobial compounds. By screening fungal extracts and using bioactivity-guided isolation with modern analytical tools, it identifies promising molecules with antifungal and anti-tuberculosis potential. This work highlights the role of understudied fungi in developing future therapies.

Ezequiel Cruz Rosa is a graduate student at the University of South Florida studying fungal secondary metabolites from extreme environments, including deep-sea ecosystems and Florida mangroves. Combining natural products chemistry with biological screening, his research focuses on discovering new compounds with potential to treat infectious diseases.