Congressman Cohen Announces $1.2 Million Grant to St. Jude to Study Emerging Fungal Pathogen

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will receive a $1,247,879 grant from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases for research mapping the genomic and molecular mechanisms of antifungal resistance in the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris, often spread in health care settings.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“It is critical that we contain infectious pathogens before they do real harm. I am pleased St. Jude will be working to understand how this particular fungal pathogen works in an effort to limit its spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only a small number of cases have been identified in Tennessee and Mississippi, but it makes medical and scientific sense to do this research before Candida auris becomes a larger problem.”

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