Beyond Convention: Novel Sources, Strategies, and Technologies for Researching Fungal Bioactives

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi represent a vast reservoir of bioactive compounds with unparalleled structural diversity and therapeutic potential, yet they remain underexplored using conventional experimental approaches, which are constrained by cultivability limits, redundant sampling, and technological barriers. This Special Issue, “Beyond Convention: Novel Sources, Strategies, and Technologies for Researching Fungal Bioactives”, seeks to overcome these boundaries by spotlighting cutting-edge methodologies that are revolutionizing the field.

We welcome contributions that harness unconventional fungal sources—extremophiles, endophytes, lichen symbionts, and unculturable taxa—via metagenomics, alongside transformative technologies such as AI/ML-driven metabolite prediction, CRISPR-based pathway engineering, integrated omics (genome-mining, metabolomics), and advanced analytical platforms (NMR crystallography, IM-MS, microED). Studies may address novel compound discovery, biosynthesis elucidation, heterologous expression, or bioactivity-guided structure optimization.

By transcending traditional paradigms, this Special Issue aims to usher in a new era of fungal biodiscovery: one where synthetic biology, computational tools, and culture innovation converge to unlock bioactive “dark matter”. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives that bridge laboratory breakthroughs with real-world applications of fungi in medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Prof. Dr. Karl Wah-Keung Tsim
Dr. Xinyu Wang
Guest Editors

Dr. Meixia Yang
Guest Editor Assistant

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