SCIENce at open fung
Our scientific program advances transparent and accessible data, materials, methods and measures to enable decentralized applied mycology. We develop and share knowledge through collaborative networks, using the arts to deepen scientific understanding and inspire action.
Fungi have thrived on our planet for hundreds of millions of years and have evolved a remarkable array of capabilities. Wood-decay fungi in the mushroom-forming group hold particular promise for human innovation, but tools for working with them are particularly scarce. To help people create in partnership with these fungi, our science draws on craft mycology, mushroom farming, materials engineering, fungi in art practice, imaging, measurement, synthetic and molecular biology, computational modeling, and fungal biology, ecology and evolution.
Of the factors critical to shaping how fungi perform in biotechnology, we have launched research into fungal strain development and are expanding our efforts to qualify their food sources, the living and non-living aspects of their environments, and interactions with fungi as they grow.
what we are focusing on now
- Fungal strain development for biomaterial applications. Climate-friendly materials made with fungi are becoming a reality, and we are advancing open fungal strains domesticated for this purpose. Open Fung is developing the first utility mushrooms for making materials, supported with open genome data and enabled for redistribution and commercial use. These strains will be characterized for bioprocess performance and amenable to genetic modification.
- Versatile open tools for applied fungal biology. We want fungal biotechnology to become routine, predictable and ready for a wide range of applications for materials, food, medicines, bioremediation, the environment and beyond. We are creating open resources for the cultivation, imaging and measurements of beneficial fungi and substrates. Open data from our multiomics analyses across environmental conditions will train computational fungal models for different scales of space and time.
- Network-building. To enhance information sharing and cultivate an effective, inclusive fungal biotechnology community, Open Fung fosters a distributed network including research laboratories, citizen scientists and creative practitioners. We are working to create accessible platforms to share important knowledge, results and data.
ONGOING PROJECTS
*ganofornia
“Ganofornia” is Open Fung’s initiative to develop as-open-as-possible fungal cultigens adapted for making fungal biomaterials, focusing first on tools and data for our local California Ganoderma. A crucial part of this work is to build and share a framework for fungal collection and use that is aligned with our values, combining Indigenous bio-sovereignty, legality, culture and ecology. We are establishing the standards, measures, and predictive growth models necessary to transform regional fungi into a shared public utility. The Ganofornia Project demonstrates a future where biological knowledge is ethically sourced, open, and material production is local, powered by regional organisms and feedstocks.
Key Research & Efforts
- Public Utility Fungi: Our goal is to develop “as-open-as-possible” wood-decay fungi adapted for biomaterials growth – a common biological platform available for use or to onboard local fungi. These fungi can be accessed and refined by artists, scientists, and community members alike.
- A Template for Cultivation: We are establishing a digital and laboratory roadmap for moving a wild specimen to a stable, utilized strain. This framework allows others to bypass proprietary silos and cultivate regional fungi using their own local feedstocks.
- Protocols, data and tools: in association with our open fungi, we will be generating and sharing biological characteristics, omics data, and protocols for growth and manipulation. a transparent library that informs how we grow, manipulate, and engineer fungal materials for future utilities.
- Predictive Growth Modeling: By testing multiple fungi across a vast array of growth conditions, we are building predictive models that anticipate how specific strains will behave. This data-driven approach allows us to optimize strains, environments and feedstocks with precision, moving beyond trial-and-error.
- High-Throughput Testing & Standards: We are conducting high-throughput testing to establish formal standards and measures for filamentous fungi. This ensures that "open" materials meet the reliability and performance benchmarks required for industrial and creative applications.
- Ethical Collection and Use Framework: To root the act of cultivation in ethical use and power-sharing, we are developing an adaptable model for aligning biotechnology with Indigenous bio-sovereignty, environmental treaties, and biodiversity stewardship.
- Artist-Led Experimentation: Through creative collaborations, we engage with fungi as a medium for inquiry. This expands our cultural understanding of waste and growth, and positions scientific rigor as an arena for artists’ expressions.