Emerging therapies for candidozyma auris (Candida auris): current landscape and future directions

The multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen Candidozyma auris (Candida auris) has spread rapidly across healthcare systems worldwide, emerging as a critical threat to patient safety. With a limited antifungal armamentarium increasingly compromised by rising resistance, the development of novel therapeutic strategies is urgently needed.

This review examines emerging therapies for C. auris, organized by clinical maturity and molecular target, evaluates their discovery pipelines, and outlines the limitations. We also discuss combination therapies and decolonization strategies as approaches for preventing and treating C. auris infections.

C. auris continues to outpace the currently available therapeutic arsenal. The greatest near-term advances are likely to come from agents with novel mechanisms of action and from rational combination strategies. However, major translational barriers remain, including limited fungal-specific targets, pharmacokinetic challenges, and the gap between preclinical findings and clinical application. Progress will depend on integrating artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, rational target selection, and optimized pharmacokinetic modeling to accelerate therapeutic development. Equally important is the development of effective decolonization strategies to interrupt healthcare transmission. Together, these advances could redefine C. auris treatment and address one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary medical mycology.