Grant: Project Grant

Humans are continuously exposed to fungi that can potentially cause disease or allergic reactions. For example, the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans causes life-threatening meningitis in people with defective immune systems. The global impact of this fungal pathogen is dramatically illustrated by the fact that it is responsible ~15% of deaths in patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). C. neoformans is therefore a major threat to the ~37 million people suffering from AIDS worldwide. Alarmingly, a related species, Cryptococcus gattii, has emerged as a primary pathogen with the ability to cause meningitis in people with healthy immune systems. The disease caused by C. gattii is particularly relevant to the health of Canadians because the fungus has caused a disease outbreak in British Columbia. The long-term goal of our research project is to acquire knowledge that will lead to new strategies to prevent and/or effectively treat the infections caused by fungal pathogens such as C. neoformans and C. gattii. In particular, we are working to acquire a detailed understanding of the weapons that fungi deploy to attack people, and to use our new knowledge in strategies to treat fungal diseases. In our current project, we will determine how C. neoformans builds protective structures to shield itself from our immune defences. We plan to use the latest technologies in genetics, biochemistry and cell biology to complete our objectives. The new knowledge we obtain may lead to therapies that enhance the ability of our immune defences to control disease by preventing the fungus from protecting itself during infection. These studies will extend our exciting recent discoveries of candidate drugs that inhibit the growth of C. neoformans in culture. In summary, our project will provide advanced knowledge into the ways that fungal pathogens cause infections in humans, and support the discovery and application of new methods to treat fungal diseases.