Journal of Fungi

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pranab K. Mukherjee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Next Tech Solutions, LLC, Cleveland, OH 44122, USA
Interests: drug development; fungal biology and pathogenesis; immune response; biofilms; systems biology; microbiome and mycobiome; metabolomics; proteomics; lipidomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Special Issue “Antifungal Drug Development: Rearview and the Horizon”. The overarching goal of this Special Issue is to create a fresh outlook on the current status of antifungals drug development. We will review the exciting findings in this area in the recent past, and also layout the targets and agents that have high likelihoods of advancing to the next stage of drug development in the near future. There is considerable excitement regarding the potential of some new molecules as antifungal agents, along with a renewed stress on the repurposing of drugs already approved for non-fungal infections and other indications. In addition, investigators are pursuing the development of antifungal drugs based on systems biology analysis, including next-generation sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, and leveraging combination regimens and computational networking to identify novel agents. We will focus on different preclinical assays available for testing the activity of antifungals and designing robust clinical trials in the pursuance of regulatory approval. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive view of antifungal drug development, from basic science investigations in the microbiology laboratory, through preclinical testing, clinical trials, and market launch. It is my belief that this issue will be an important resource for future and current scientists, and will contribute to successful antifungal drug development programs. I invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, with articles highlighting your achievements in different areas of antifungal drug development.

Dr. Pranab K. Mukherjee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

drug development
antifungals
structure-activity-relationship
fungal biology
immune response
biofilms
antifungal peptides
biochemistry
molecular biology
systems biology
microbiome
mycobiome
metabolomics
proteomics
regulatory submissions

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Review

Jump to: Other

11 pages, 744 KiB

Open AccessReview

Aspiring Antifungals: Review of Current Antifungal Pipeline Developments

by Thomas J. Gintjee, Monica A. Donnelley and George R. Thompson

J. Fungi 2020, 6(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof6010028 - 25 Feb 2020

Cited by 132 | Viewed by 13816

Abstract

Invasive fungal infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and their management is restricted to a variety of agents from five established classes of antifungal medication. In practice, existing antifungal agents are often constrained by dose-limiting toxicities, drug interactions, and the routes of administration. An increasing prevalence of invasive fungal infections along with rising rates of resistance and the practical limitations of existing agents has created a demand for the development of new antifungals, particularly those with novel mechanisms of action. This article reviews antifungal agents currently in various stages of clinical development. New additions to existing antifungal classes will be discussed, including SUBA-itraconazole, a highly bioavailable azole, and amphotericin B cochleate, an oral amphotericin formulation, as well as rezafungin, a long-acting echinocandin capable of once-weekly administration. Additionally, novel first-in-class agents such as ibrexafungerp, an oral glucan synthase inhibitor with activity against various resistant fungal isolates, and olorofim, a pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor with a broad spectrum of activity and oral formulation, will be reviewed. Various other innovative antifungal agents and classes, including MGCD290, tetrazoles, and fosmanogepix, will also be examined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antifungal Drug Development: Rearview and the Horizon)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Review

8 pages, 412 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Sweet Relief: Determining the Antimicrobial Activity of Medical Grade Honey Against Vaginal Isolates of Candida albicans

by Renée Hermanns, Niels A.J. Cremers, John P. Leeming and Esther T. van der Werf

J. Fungi 2019, 5(3), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof5030085 - 09 Sep 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4696

Abstract

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is predicted to increase to almost 158 million cases annually by 2030. Extensive self-diagnosis and easily accessible over-the-counter (OTC) fungistatic drugs contribute to antifungal-resistance, illustrating the need for novel therapies. Honey possesses multiple antimicrobial mechanisms, and there is no antimicrobial resistance towards honey reported. We evaluated the susceptibility of five clinical isolates of Candida albicans and a control strain to regular honey and a medical grade honey (MGH) gel formulation (L-Mesitran, containing 40% honey and vitamins C and E) using an adapted version of the EUCAST protocol at pH 5.2, 4.6, and 4.0. 40% regular honey did not kill or inhibit C. albicans. In contrast, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of L-Mesitran was 25%–50%, while fungicidal effects occurred at a 50% concentration (MBC) of the MGH formulation, except for one strain which was not killed at pH 4.0. Overall, pH had little effect on antimicrobial activity. MGH formulation L-Mesitran has antimicrobial activity against C. albicans over a relevant pH range. The vitamin supplements or other components of L-Mesitran may enhance the antifungal activity of the honey. This study supports performing clinical trials for conditions, such as RVVC, to find an alternative to available OTC fungistatic drugs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antifungal Drug Development: Rearview and the Horizon)

► Show Figures