The Laboratory of Medical Mycology was founded in 1982 as part of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in the Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem. While most of the laboratory's work is focused on the diagnosis of fungi (both yeasts and molds) which cause infectionsamong patients, its research activities have contributed significantly to our knowledge of fungal infections, their pathogenesis and treatment.
The laboratory serves both Hadassah hospitals and their clinics and provides services to laboratories and clinicians outside Hadassah. The laboratory holds high standards and is internationally recognized as one of the leaders in service and research in medical mycology. It uses state-of-the-art molecular methods to supplement classical methods in identifying and characterizing fungi. Additionally the laboratory performs antifungal agent susceptibility testing, as well as other advanced testing methods, including the E-Test. These tests are performed based on international standards (CLSI). Clinical data emerging from the laboratory is evaluated by experts in the field of medical mycology, which include clinical microbiologists and clinician specialists in the field of infectious diseases.
Prof. Itzchak Polacheck, director of the laboratory, studies the pathogenic mechanisms of the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans; development of new antifungals and novel drug delivery systems, and resistance mechanism of non-albicans yeasts.