# Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Invasive Fungal Pathogens

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2021 · $574,360

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
There has been a dramatic rise in the number of severe fungal infections due to a constant increase in the
number of individuals who are immunocompromised. Strong similarities in the basic eukaryotic metabolic
pathways between fungi and mammalian cells have hindered the development of antifungal agents because
many compounds that are effective at inhibiting fungal growth are also toxic to host cells. It is becoming clear
that novel antifungal agents alone are unlikely to significantly reduce the mortality rate of fungal infections
without the aid of new therapeutic approaches. Promising alternative approaches include combining current
antifungal treatments with agents that enhance the host immune system's ability to eliminate the microbe or
disrupt an interspecies molecular interaction that governs invasion. These approaches require a detailed
understanding of the complex interaction between host and pathogen. This proposal will focus on three
emerging fungal pathogens - Scedosporium spp, Candida auris and Mucorales fungi. Infections with these
three phylogenetically distinct pathogens frequently fail to respond to currently available antifungal therapy and
are therefore associated with extremely high mortality rates. Here we will combine dual-species RNA-seq,
comparative genome analysis, established animal models and fungal genetics to systematically and
comprehensively analyze the host-pathogen interactions for each class. Analyzing all three different types of
fungi using the same approach will enable us to define commonalities as well as key differences among the
organisms and the responses they elicit in the host. The proposed studies will provide a wealth of information
regarding gene function and regulation in both the fungus and the host and will likely lead to the identification
of novel therapeutic targets to treat this increasingly serious cause of human disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132960
- **Project number:** 5U19AI110820-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Vincent Michael Bruno
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $574,360
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-04-15 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132960

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132960, Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Invasive Fungal Pathogens (5U19AI110820-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132960. Licensed CC0.

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