Antimycotics with a novel mode of action

具有新颖作用方式的抗真菌药

• 批准号: 322260-2005
• 负责人: Dmitrienko, Gary
• 金额: $ 12万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects - Group
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=362600
• 关键词: Antimycotics; novel; mode; action

In the past 25 years the incidence of fatality associated with fungal infections has increased steadily, largely as a consequence of an increase in the number of immunocompromised individuals. For immunocompetent individuals infections caused by the many fungal species which are part of the flora normally inhabiting the human body or which are encountered in the environment are very seldom life-threatening. For immunocompromised patients, however, invasive fungal infections have become important causes of morbidity and mortality. Millions of people worldwide are threatened by such dangerous infections. AIDS patients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, cystic fibrosis patients, stem cell transplant patients, organ transplan recipients are all at high risk of acquiring life-threatening fungal infections.The present research project seeks to discover new antimycotics which will help to combat this serious health problem. An enzyme specific to fungal metabolism has been identified and specific inhibitors of it have already been designed by the researchers involved and have been shown to possess antifungal activity.   This project involves a close collaboration with the scientists of the Infectious Diseases unit of a Canadian pharmaceutical company and their involvement strongly enhances the prospects that a practical novel antimycotic pharmaceutical will eventually emerge from this work and ensures that the young scientists to be involved in this project will receive training in a highly interdisciplinary environment.This project has potential for improving the health of immunocompromised individuals, which could lead to decreased health care costs, and could create a unique niche in the large anti-infective pharmaceutical market for the participating Canadian company.

在过去25年中，与真菌感染相关的死亡率稳步上升，这主要是由于免疫功能低下个体数量的增加。对于具有免疫能力的个体来说，由许多真菌引起的感染很少危及生命，这些真菌是通常居住在人体中的菌群的一部分，或者是在环境中遇到的。然而，对于免疫功能低下的患者，侵袭性真菌感染已成为发病率和死亡率的重要原因。全世界有数百万人受到这种危险感染的威胁。艾滋病患者、接受化疗的癌症患者、囊性纤维化患者、干细胞移植患者、器官移植接受者都是获得危及生命的真菌感染的高风险人群。目前的研究项目旨在发现新的抗真菌药物，这将有助于对抗这一严重的健康问题。研究人员已经确定了一种针对真菌代谢的特异性酶，并且已经设计出了这种酶的特异性抑制剂，并已被证明具有抗真菌活性。该项目涉及与加拿大制药公司传染病部门的科学家密切合作，他们的参与极大地提高了从这项工作中最终产生一种实用的新型抗真菌药物的前景，并确保参与该项目的年轻科学家将在高度跨学科的环境中接受培训。该项目有可能改善免疫功能受损个人的健康状况，从而降低保健费用，并可能为参与的加拿大公司在庞大的抗感染药品市场创造一个独特的利基市场。