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Review
. 2014 May 1;4(5):a019703.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a019703.

Antifungal drug development: challenges, unmet clinical needs, and new approaches

Terry Roemer  1 , Damian J Krysan
Affiliations
Review

Antifungal drug development: challenges, unmet clinical needs, and new approaches

Terry Roemer et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. .

Abstract

Invasive, life-threatening fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly for patients with compromised immune function. The number of therapeutic options for the treatment of invasive fungal infections is quite limited when compared with those available to treat bacterial infections. Indeed, only three classes of molecules are currently used in clinical practice and only one new class of antifungal drugs has been developed in the last 30 years. Here we summarize the unmet clinical needs of current antifungal therapy, discuss challenges inherent to antifungal drug discovery and development, and review recent developments aimed at addressing some of these challenges.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Classes and representative examples of antifungal drugs in current use.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Time line depicting key milestones of antifungal drug development.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Examples of antifungal small molecules in development. The structure, method of identification, mechanism of action, and spectrum of antifungal activity are listed for each molecule.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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