Advances In Antifungal Development Discovery Of New Drugs And Drug Repurposing

This reprint describes recent advances made in the field of antifungal development, especially the discovery of new drugs and drug repurposing. The articles presented in this book provide useful information and insight for the development of new antifungal drugs or intervention strategies. The identification of new, safe molecules, and cellular targets, as well as the elucidation of their antifungal mechanisms of action, will further the effective control of fungal pathogens, especially those resistant to current therapeutic agents.

Fungal infections such as candidoses can range from superficial mucous membrane infection to life-threatening systemic mycoses. Candida infections are a significant clinical problem globally due to rapid rise in compromised host populations including HIV/AIDS, organ transplant recipients and patients on chemotherapy. In addition, sharp increase in aging populations which are susceptible to fungal infections is expected in next few decades. Antifungal drugs are relatively difficult to develop compared to the antibacterial drugs owing to the eukaryotic nature of the cells. Therefore, only a handful of antifungal agents are currently available to treat the myriad of fungal infections. Moreover, rising antifungal resistance and host-related adverse reactions have limited the antifungal arsenal against fungal pathogens. In this research topic, we tried to update the theoretical aspects pertaining to the antifungal drug discovery i.e. proposed novel mechanisms, new drug targets and pathways. In addition, invited authors explored the new antifungal drugs derived from natural and synthetic sources which are currently under development. Contributors were encouraged to bring new insight into the antifungal drug discovery. We hope the reader may arrive at a general consensus on the possible strategies to combat ever increasing ubiquitous fungal infection in this new century.

Anticandidal Therapeutics: Discovery and Development helps researchers form the basis of discovery and development of novel anticandidal therapies. In 14 chapters, the book provides collective information on anticandidal agents and their discovery and development with respect to major drug transporter families, different stages of anticandidal agent development, recent trends and progress in antifungal translational research, clinical study status of anticandidal therapeutic agents, and drug repurposing for the development of novel anticandidals. This book provides readers with comprehensive knowledge on the fungal human infection candida and the development of anticandidal drugs. Developments of anti-fungal agents have declined as compared to other antibiotics. There is an urgent need for both prophylactic and therapeutic treatments worldwide to control the severity of infections caused by Candida. Highlights the mechanics of actions of all therapeutic agents against Candida Focuses on anticandidal agents rather than general antifungal agents Discusses the stage of development of new antifungal drugs, the reposition of drugs, and how this could help in treatment

Fungal infections in the female play an increasingly large role in everyday gynecological practice. This is the first book to deal comprehensively with vulvovaginal candidosis. Following an introduction outlining the incidence of yeasts in man, genital colonization in the female sex, yeast in pregnancy and neonatal mycoses, there is a description of the modes of infection and the known host reactions, as well as of the symptoms for diagnosis and therapy. Some 150 color illustrations depict all known facultative pathogenetic candida species and other potentially pathogenetic yeasts in pure culture and under the microscope. Clinical examples help explain the diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The volume provides the physician with handy, concise and practice-oriented guidelines to correct diagnosis and effective treatment of yeasts in the female patient.

Mycological studies of yeasts are entering a new phase, with the sequencing of multiple fungal genomes informing our understanding of their ability to cause disease and interact with the host. At the same time, the ongoing use of traditional methods in many clinical mycology laboratories continues to provide information for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. This volume reviews various aspects of pathogenic yeasts and what is known about their molecular and cellular biology and virulence, in addition to looking at clinical and laboratory findings. As each chapter is written by a leading expert in the field, this book summarizes in one volume much of the latest research on several pathogenic yeasts, including Candida, Cryptococcus, Malassezia and yeasts of emerging importance. The importance of laboratory diagnosis, antifungal susceptibility testing, antifungal resistance and yeast diseases in animals are reviewed.

For human health, leishmaniasis is among the most important protozoan diseases, superseded only by malaria. Globally, 10 to 12 million people are infected with 1.5 million new cases every year. The development of cheaper new drugs is urgently needed for this neglected disease that is developing resistance to current treatments. Chemotherapy remains the only treatment option for the bulk of patients. However, this is largely unaffordable for most. In the past three years numerous advances in drug discovery have been made for treating this disease by exploiting diverging metabolic pathways between the Leishmania enzymes and their hosts, using nanotechnology to target the immune cell phagolysosomes where Leishmania resides. Drug Discovery for Leishmaniasis aims to provide a perspective of the current treatments and their challenges, blended with the emerging strategies and methodologies that will drive new target appraisals and drug developments, as well as addressing the molecular basis of resistance in Leishmania. Recent studies have shown that leishmaniasis affects some of the poorest people in the world, with 95% of fatal cases occurring in only 6 countries. With the WHO goal of eliminating this public health problem in the South-east Asia Region by 2020, this book will be important for anyone who is interested in neglected tropical diseases.

Drug repurposing or drug repositioning is a new approach to presenting new indications for common commercial and clinically approved existing drugs. For example, chloroquine, an old antimalarial drug, showed promising results for treating COVID-19, interfering with MDR in several types of cancer, and chemosensitizing human leukemic cells.This book focuses on the hypothesis, risk/benefits, and economic impacts of drug repurposing on drug discovery in dermatology, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, cancer, and orphan diseases. It brings together up-to-date research to provide readers with an informative, illustrative, and easy-to-read book useful for students, clinicians, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Drug Repurposing in Cancer Therapy: Approaches and Applications provides comprehensive and updated information from experts in basic science research and clinical practice on how existing drugs can be repurposed for cancer treatment. The book summarizes successful stories that may assist researchers in the field to better design their studies for new repurposing projects. Sections discuss specific topics such as in silico prediction and high throughput screening of repurposed drugs, drug repurposing for overcoming chemoresistance and eradicating cancer stem cells, and clinical investigation on combination of repurposed drug and anticancer therapy. Cancer researchers, oncologists, pharmacologists and several members of biomedical field who are interested in learning more about the use of existing drugs for different purposes in cancer therapy will find this to be a valuable resource. Presents a systematic and up-to-date collection of the research underpinning the various drug repurposing approaches for a quick, but in-depth understanding on current trends in drug repurposing research Brings better understanding of the drug repurposing process in a holistic way, combining both basic and clinical sciences Encompasses a collection of successful stories of drug repurposing for cancer therapy in different cancer types