Grant: Operating Grant

Infections of humans by opportunistic fungal pathogens are increasingly common due to the AIDS epidemic and the use of immunosuppressive therapies for procedures such as organ transplants. Diseases caused by fungi are difficult to treat because anti-fungal drugs have limited effectiveness and often have side effects. We are applying a combination of genomic and molecular genetic techniques to discover the mechanisms by which fungal pathogens cause disease. Specifically, we seek to understand how the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans adapts to the host environment during the infection process. C. neoformans causes meningitis and is one of the most common fungal pathogens that infects AIDS patients. In addition, strains of C. neoformans are currently causing an outbreak of infections in otherwise healthy people in British Columbia with over 200 human cases reported. We plan to examine the mechanisms by which the fungus delivers disease-promoting molecules to its surface during infection. By understanding the way that C. neoformans causes disease, we hope to discover new targets for the development of anti-fungal drugs. These drugs and the information that we obtain will help in treatment of fungal infections.