PAUL STAMETS

Mycologist

Paul Stamets has been studying mushrooms for more than 30 years. Having discovered and named 5 new species, he has written 6 books with his newest work, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. This pioneering book describes his work with mycofiltration, mycoremediation and for using fungi as keystone species for habitat restoration, increasing the carrying capacity of environments through soil enhancements. For the past two years, Paul has been active in several NIH sponsored research efforts using his strains of mushrooms in treating breast cancer, HIV, and combating viruses. As the sole source supplier of medicinal mushrooms for the first two clinical studies using mushrooms in the U.S., Paul is an advisor to the Program of Integrative Medicine at the U. of Arizona Med School. He has been active in the U.S. Defense Dept. Bioshield Program, and has discovered mushrooms resident in the Old Growth forests of Washington State active against Pox viruses. Both antiviral studies are now moving into in vivo stages. He owns and operates Fungi Perfecti, LLC (www.fungi.com) and recently co-founded MycoMDx, a new company to perfect anti-viral medicines from fungi.

His work also encompasses mycoremediation, the use of mycelium to help eliminate biological and chemical agents from the environment and mycofiltration, the use of mycelium to help filter silt, bacteria and other pathogens from endangered habitats. Active in saving ancestral strains of mushrooms from the old growth forest, Paul is dedicated to protecting the fungal genome from endangered habitats. He strongly believes that fungal biodiversity in instrumental for protecting biosphere and for potentiating host defenses of people and planet.