My work focuses on understanding the role of fungal organisms in human health and, in parallel, on developing fungal-based solutions for sustainable, animal-free food production.

My group has two main research streams. One investigates how the human fungal commensal Candida albicans adapts to different host environments, particularly within the gut, and how it interacts with the microbiome. The other explores fungal platforms for alternative protein production, using filamentous fungi and yeasts to create nutritious and sustainable foods.

Before joining the Quadram Institute, I was Professor of Fungal Biology at the University of Kent, where I also led the Growing Kent & Medway UKRI-funded Consortium, fostering collaboration between academia and industry to drive innovation in sustainable food and drink production.

I hold a Laurea in Molecular Biology from the University of Palermo, a PhD from the University of Heidelberg/EMBL, and completed postdoctoral training at the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, and Tel Aviv.

My research aims to connect microbiology, nutrition, and biotechnology to advance both human health and sustainable food systems.

Key publications

1. Transposon load and RNAi loss synergize to drive intraspecies diversity in Cryptococcus.
Iracane E, Buscaino A.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Dec 24;121(52):e2422896121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2422896121.

2. Identification of an active RNAi pathway in Candida albicans.
Iracane E, Arias-Sardá C, Maufrais C, Ene IV, d’Enfert C, Buscaino A.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Apr 23;121(17):e2315926121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2315926121.

3. Deletion of the Candida albicans TLO gene family using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis allows characterisation of functional differences in α-, β- and γ- TLO gene function.
Fletcher J, O’Connor-Moneley J, Frawley D, Flanagan PR, Alaalm L, Menendez-Manjon P, Estevez SV, Hendricks S, Woodruff AL, Buscaino A, Anderson MZ, Sullivan DJ, Moran GP.PLoS Genet. 2023 Dec 4;19(12):e1011082. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011082. eCollection 2023 Dec.

4. Stress combined with loss of the Candida albicans SUMO protease Ulp2 triggers selection of aneuploidy via a two-step process.
Rizzo M, Soisangwan N, Vega-Estevez S, Price RJ, Uyl C, Iracane E, Shaw M, Soetaert J, Selmecki A, Buscaino A.PLoS Genet. 2022 Dec 27;18(12):e1010576. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010576. eCollection 2022 Dec.

5. The Genome of the CTG(Ser1) Yeast Scheffersomyces stipitis Is Plastic.
Vega-Estévez S, Armitage A, Bates HJ, Harrison RJ, Buscaino A.mBio. 2021 Oct 26;12(5):e0187121. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01871-21. Epub 2021 Sep 7.