£2.2 million funding for research into antifungal drugs

Submitted by Aspergillus Administrator on 28 September 2009

Massive new funding by the UK government into researching new antifungal drugs was announced today. This is a further commitment to the funding already in place (£2.3 million) for several projects looking for new antifungals (aka antimycotics) or new targets for future antifungal drugs – see the Medical Research Council webpages for further details.

The new funding is to look for new targets in Aspergillus fumigatus for antifungal drugs to attack, thus making possible new types of antifungal drugs to fight alongside established drugs that are currently in use such as itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole (all of which use similar targets) and amphotericin.

The funding is being given to the van Aalten laboratory in Dundee, Scotland, UK for a period of five years and will pay for a team of five researchers to conduct a sustained project of basic research under the supervision of Prof van Aalten. The van Alten lab has an extensive publication record in molecular and structural biochemistry so will be able to use this wealth of experience and excellent facilities to progress the projects aims.

Once targets are identified by this basic research this location has the added advantage of also hosting a large Drug Discovery Unit dedicated to the gereration of new drugs – progress will be uninhibited by any shortage of expertise or facilities!