New therapeutic strategies against Candida infections

A study conducted by Jérôme Govin's team explores new therapeutic strategies against Candida infections, which cause several million deaths each year. In response to the declining efficacy of current treatments and the rapid emergence of resistant strains, the authors focused on Bdf1, an essential fungal protein involved in transcriptional regulation. By screening a library of 80,000 compounds, they identified several molecules capable of specifically inhibiting Bdf1. One of them, I-BET726, proved active against multiple Candida species, including resistant isolates, and was effective in in vivo infection models. These findings pave the way for a new generation of antifungal agents targeting epigenetic regulation.

Article:
Humanized Candida and NanoBiT Assays Expedite Discovery of Bdf1 Bromodomain Inhibitors With Antifungal Potential
Wei K, Arlotto M, Overhulse JM, Dinh TA, Zhou Y, Dupper NJ, Yang J, Kashemirov BA, Dawi H, Garnaud C, Bourgine G, Mietton F, Champleboux M, Larabi A, Hayat Y, Indorato RL, Noirclerc-Savoye M, Skoufias D, Cornet M, Rabut G, McKenna CE, Petosa C, Govin J.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025. doi: 10.1002/advs.202404260