A marine microbiome antifungal targets urgent-threat drug-resistant fungi
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.
- Publication:
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Science
- Pub Date:
- November 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.abd6919
- Bibcode:
- 2020Sci...370..974Z
- Keywords:
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- CHEMISTRY; MEDICINE