Antifungal Resistance: From Surveillance to Treatment
A major problem with fungal infections is the low number of effective antifungals, which all come from very few different substance classes. In addition, important human-pathogenic fungi like Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus are increasingly developing resistances against the drugs that are currently in use. Certain pathogens such as Candida auris are even considered largely resistant to many treatment options.
The German-French consortium AReST (Antifungal Resistance: From Surveillance to Treatment) wants to address this important problem. First, by establishing an epidemiological surveillance system AReST aims to obtain a clear picture of the current state of antifungal resistance in France and Germany. Second, we want to find novel antifungal compounds by a targeted screen of substances produced by bacteria. We focus on substances that predominantly inhibit the virulence, but not necessarily kill the fungi, to minimize the risk of developing resistances in the future.
To achieve these important goals, the AReST consortium combines the expertise of the Leibniz-HKI departments Molecular and Applied Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, the Institut Pasteur and the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), and the University Hospital Cologne.
Funding
This project is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR).