title: From Biology to Drug Development: New Approaches to Combat the Threat of Fungal Biofilms.
abstract: Fungal infections constitute a major threat to an escalating number of critically ill patients. Fungi are eukaryotic organisms and, as such, there is a limited armamentarium of antifungal drugs, which leads to high mortality rates. Moreover, fungal infections are often associated with the formation of biofilms, which contribute to virulence and further complicate treatment due to the high level of antifungal drug resistance displayed by sessile cells within these microbial communities. Thus, the treatment of fungal infections associated with a biofilm etiology represents a formidable and unmet clinical challenge. The increasing importance and awareness of fungal biofilms is reflected by the fact that this is now an area of very active research. Studies in the last decade have provided important insights into fungal biofilm biology, physiology, and pathology, as well as into the molecular basis of biofilm resistance. Here we discuss how this accumulated knowledge may inform the development of new antibiofilm strategies and therapeutics that are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biology.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: Anand K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ramasubramanian
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biology.
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: López-Ribot
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents