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Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Bio-energetics Investigation of Candida albicans Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis
Published on: March 19, 2019
A marine microbiome antifungal targets urgent-threat drug-resistant fungi
Fan Zhang1, Miao Zhao2, Doug R Braun1
1Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Abstract:
New antifungal drugs are urgently needed to address the emergence and transcontinental spread of fungal infectious diseases, such as pandrug-resistant Candida auris. Leveraging the microbiomes of marine animals and cutting-edge metabolomics and genomic tools, we identified encouraging lead antifungal molecules with in vivo efficacy. The most promising lead, turbinmicin, displays potent in vitro and mouse-model efficacy toward multiple-drug-resistant fungal pathogens, exhibits a wide safety index, and functions through a fungal-specific mode of action, targeting Sec14 of the vesicular trafficking pathway. The efficacy, safety, and mode of action distinct from other antifungal drugs make turbinmicin a highly promising antifungal drug lead to help address devastating global fungal pathogens such as C. auris.
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