Researchers at GUMC Take Step Towards Developing New Treatment for Candida Infections
October 29, 2008
Invasive, blood-borne infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans cost the healthcare system about $1.8 billion a year and are the fourth most common hospital-acquired infection in the United States. Researchers from GUMC, led by Richard Calderone, professor and chair of Microbiology and Immunology, have now successfully tested a method designed to improve the efficacy of current treatments for this condition and other infections caused by the Candida yeast.
They found that inhibiting the Ssk1 gene (which produces a protein needed by Candida to infect its host) enables the “triazole” drugs that are already used to treat the diseases to work much more effectively. This means that a new drug that inhibits the Ssk1 gene could be used in tandem with “triazole” drugs to improve outcomes. In the study, the researchers used a gene microarray analysis to investigate the effects of inhibiting the Ssk1 gene. They discovered that it is critical to the pathogenic nature of the fungi.
“This is a genetically intelligent approach to target identification and drug design,” said Calderone. “We propose that this finding might lead to other, possibly more effective, treatment options.”
Click here to read the full press release.
Submit your news at any time to the GUMC Office of Communications at gumccomm@georgetown.edu.
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