Combinatorial strategies for combating invasive fungal infections

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High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method
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High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method

Published on: May 21, 2018

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Michaela Spitzer1, Nicole Robbins1, Gerard D Wright1

  • 1a Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , ON , Canada.

Virulence
|June 9, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Combination antifungal drug therapy offers a promising strategy to combat invasive fungal infections, addressing limitations like host toxicity and drug resistance. This approach expands treatment options for immunocompromised patients.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Invasive fungal infections pose significant mortality and morbidity risks, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
  • Existing antifungal drugs face challenges including host toxicity, limited fungicidal activity, and emerging drug resistance.
  • A limited number of antifungal treatments are currently available.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current landscape of antifungal drugs.
  • To elaborate on the benefits of combination antifungal therapy.
  • To explore novel combination strategies, including non-antifungal bioactive compounds.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing antifungal agents.
  • Analysis of current combination antifungal therapies.
  • Discussion of strategies for discovering new combination therapeutics.

Main Results:

  • Combination therapy can enhance drug effectiveness and mitigate antifungal resistance.
  • Several antifungal combinations demonstrate potential against pathogenic fungi.
  • Combining antifungal agents with non-antifungal compounds is a promising discovery strategy.

Conclusions:

  • Combinatorial strategies hold significant promise for treating invasive fungal infections.
  • Expanding the antifungal drug repertoire through combinations is crucial.
  • Further research into novel combination therapeutics is warranted.
Keywords:
AspergillusCandidaCryptococcusantifungalcombination therapydrug synergy

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