Finding New Antibiotics for Drug-Resistant Fungi

Human fungal infections are serious and often life-threatening. The incidence of fungal infections has become increasingly more common over the past 10 years, largely due to the growing number of immunocompromised persons. The demand for effective and non-toxic antifungal therapeutics has become even greater with the increased incidence of fungal infections. While a large number of broad spectrum antibiotics exist for the treatment of bacterial infections, the number of useful antifungal therapeutics is limited. Through a partnership with MycoLogics, Inc. (Denver, CO), and funded by a grant from the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. McCarthy and his team are screening our unique collection of samples to discover novel antifungal agents. Dr. Wright and her group are isolating and identifying these new antifungal compounds.