Analyzing Kinases to Treat Fungal Meningoencephalitis

 

-Holds Promise for Developing More Effective Antifungal Drugs

 

 

 

Professor Yong Sun Bahn (second from right)

 

 

A research team led by Yonsei Biotechnology Professor Yong Sun Bahn has analyzed 264 signature-tagged gene-deletion strains for 129 putative kinases, opening the door for the development of more effective antifungal drugs to treat Cryptococcus neoformans, the leading cause of death by fungal meningoencephalitis. The results were published online September 28 in Nature Communications with the title “Systematic functional analysis of kinases in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.”

 

In explaining the purpose and importance of the study, Professor Bahn said: “This study is the very first to discover a large number of human fungal pathogens and to identify their functions on a genome-wide scale. Furthermore, our study not only provides insights into the development of drug targets to treat fungal meningoencephalitis, but it also lays the groundwork to develop the next generation of high value-added antifungal drugs.”

 

The team has applied for a domestic patent to secure its original technology from the study and is planning to transfer this technology to a private Korean pharmaceutical company for development.