Assemblyman Salas helps to secure key funding for valley fever research efforts

The UC researchers represent California’s top experts in Coccidioides, the fungus responsible for causing valley fever. With funding from last year’s state budget, they will begin to research better ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat valley fever.

“By funding these important research projects, we are one step closer to finding a cure for valley fever,” said Salas, who secured the funding in the 2018-19 state budget. “Our state is home to the best research universities in the world, and I am really grateful for the commitment and interest of so many researchers around the state that are currently researching valley fever and other fungal diseases. By working together and supporting researchers, we are helping to improve the lives of thousands of individuals and families that are affected by valley fever every year.” 

After the University of California received many applications, the $3 million included in the 2018-19 state budget was ultimately awarded to two research projects that will bring together the collaborative efforts of researchers at various UC campuses including Berkeley, Davis, Merced, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego, as well as the Valley Fever Institute. Together, these projects will increase knowledge of valley fever and help discover better ways to diagnose and treat the disease.  

“We have established a consortium of 11 researchers from 6 University of California campuses. Our aim to close fundamental gaps in knowledge about San Joaquin Valley Fever, the disease caused by infection with the fungus Coccidioides,” said Dr. Anita Sil, Co-Director of the Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Defense Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

“We believe strongly that advances in prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutics for valley fever are desperately needed, and that these advances will arise from basic studies of Coccidioides and its interaction with the environment and the immune system. We have built a broad coalition of UC professors and trainees with diverse expertise and the ability to bring modern molecular approaches to bear on this challenging disease.”

In addition to the $3 million secured in last year’s budget for research at the University of California, Salas also secured an additional $2 million for the Valley Fever Institute in the most recent 2019-20 state budget. These funds will be used to increase education, awareness, and care for patients at Kern Medical Center who are fighting valley fever.