Mycology

Antifungal Resistance of Pathogenic Fungi and Discovery of Antifungal Drugs

Fungal pathogens pose an increasing threat to the health of humans, animals, and plants worldwide. The rising incidence of antifungal resistance, coupled with the limited availability of effective antifungal agents, presents significant challenges to the management of fungal infections. As resistant fungal diseases continue to escalate globally, there is an urgent need to deepen our understanding of resistance mechanisms and to accelerate the discovery of novel antifungal strategies.

Pathogenic fungi demonstrate remarkable adaptability, evolving sophisticated mechanisms to evade antifungal treatments and host immune defenses. However, many aspects of resistance development, pathogenicity regulation, and ecological adaptability remain poorly characterized. Deciphering these mechanisms could provide critical insights into fungal biology and evolution, while simultaneously informing the design of next-generation antifungal therapies. Furthermore, leveraging natural sources, inter-microbial interactions, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery could significantly advance the identification and development of new antifungal candidates.

In this context, this Article Collection welcomes contributions that explore the biology, resistance evolution, and therapeutic targeting of pathogenic fungi. We seek studies that enhance our understanding of antifungal resistance mechanisms, identify and optimize new antifungal compounds, and apply innovative technologies to address the urgent need for effective antifungal treatments.

Topics of Interest:

• Mechanisms of antifungal resistance in pathogenic fungi
• Discovery of new antifungal compounds from natural or synthetic sources
• Target identification and validation for antifungal drug development
• Host-pathogen interactions influencing antifungal resistance
• Application of AI, omics technologies, and bioinformatics in antifungal drug discovery

All submissions will undergo peer review to ensure the highest quality of publication. Accepted papers will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in combating fungal diseases and addressing the global challenge of antifungal resistance.

We look forward to your contributions that will strengthen our understanding and open new paths in antifungal research!

5 keywords:

1. Antifungal resistance
2. Pathogenic fungi
3. Antifungal drug discovery
4. Host-pathogen interactions
5. Innovative therapeutic strategies

Guest Advisors

Dr. Wenqiang Chang is a Professor of Natural Medicinal Chemistry at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University. His research focuses on the discovery of antifungal agents from natural and synthetic compound libraries, AI-driven drug development, and mechanistic studies of fungal pathogenicity and drug resistance. He has identified multiple antifungal lead compounds and developed advanced AI platforms for the discovery of bioactive peptides and small molecules. For further details about Prof. Chang’s professional profile, please visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wenqiang-Chang or contact him at [email protected].

Dr. Amir Arastehfar is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on fungal pathogens, particularly Candida species, and the mechanisms of antifungal resistance. He utilizes omics technologies, in vitro and in vivo models to study innate immunity and its interactions with fungal pathogens. He is involved in investigating the antifungal resistance mechanisms of Candida and their clinical implications. For more details about Dr. Arastehfar's work, visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amir-Arastehfar

Dr. Andrew Wagner is an Assistant Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Bowling Green State University. His research focuses on the identification of novel drug targets or therapeutic strategies to control invasive fungal infections. To achieve this, he utilizes in vivo infection models, and host and fungal genetics to identify conserved mechanisms used by evolutionarily distinct fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, that are necessary to cause disease. For more details about Dr. Andrew Wagner’s work, please visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Wagner-10?ev=hdr_xprf or email him at [email protected].

Dr. Tian Chen is an Associate Researcher at Shandong University. Her research focuses on fungal infections and the regulation of innate immune responses. She investigates how innate immune cells, such as macrophages, recognize and respond to pathogenic fungi like Candida albicans, with a particular interest in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern phagosome function, organelle interplay, and antifungal signaling pathways. Her work combines in vivo infection models, immunological assays, and imaging techniques to uncover novel targets for therapeutic intervention. For further details about Dr. Chen’s professional profile, please visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tian-Chen-18?ev=hdr_xprf or contact her at [email protected].

Disclosure Statement: Guest Advisors declare no conflict of interest regarding this work.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review. Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

To submit your papers to this Article Collection, please:

1. Check "yes" for the question, "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?"
2. Select the Article Collection ‘Antifungal Resistance of Pathogenic Fungi and Discovery of Antifungal Drugs’ from the drop-down menu under the question, "Special Issue or Article Collection Name."

Please contact Changluan Zhou at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.