Researchers from the State University of New York at Albany have identified small molecules that could inhibit intein self-splicing from the protein PrP8 in the fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, emerging pathogens that can cause fungal meningitis in immunocompromised patients.
By screening the microbiomes of marine organisms, scientists at the University of Wisconsin have identified nearly 150 potential new antifungal compounds, they reported in the November 20, 2020, issue of Science.
There are millions of fungal species, but it appears only a few hundred of them cause serious fungal infections that are responsible for an estimated 1.5 million deaths globally each year and are equally as dangerous as bacterial and viral infections. Last week, the U.S. CDC pointed the spotlight on this situation with its Fungal Disease Awareness Week.
Anti-infective drugs approved over the last two decades were able to get through the clinical development and FDA approval processes substantially faster than other drugs, according to a new report from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.
LONDON – Antifungal specialist F2G Ltd. has closed a $60.8 million round, providing the means to complete phase III development of the lead product olorofim, a treatment for life-threatening invasive infections, and to scale up in preparation for commercialization.
Infectious disease has been rough going for all comers the past few years, as companies have floundered. Appili Therapeutics Inc.’s CEO, Armand Balboni saw the troubles others encountered with the indication and also saw companies with thin pipelines struggle, but it hasn’t stopped him from forging on.
Shares of San Diego-based Cidara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CDTX) enjoyed a skyward ride, closing Tuesday at $2.35, up 67 cents, or 40%, on word of a deal with Mundipharma International Ltd., of Cambridge, U.K., to develop and commercialize rezafungin for invasive fungal infections. "Historically, [antifungal] pricing has been much stronger in the EU, so that is an important opportunity for us and now for Mundipharma as well," Cidara CEO Jeffrey Stein said.
