How Candida albicans withstands the immune system's oxidative attack
Official title: Candida albicans Target of Rapamycin in oxidative stress responses
Funded at Boston Children's Hospital · NIH-11237093 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is learning whether a specific part of the Candida albicans Tor1 protein helps the fungus survive the immune system's oxidative defenses, with the goal of guiding new antifungal strategies for people with Candida infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | November 22, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $222,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R21AI178693-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11237093 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients most likely to benefit in the future are those with recurrent, mucosal, or invasive Candida infections who need better treatment options.
✕Less likely to help
People without Candida infections or those with infections caused by other organisms are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic laboratory research in the near term.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are examining a protein in the common fungus Candida albicans called Tor1, focusing on a region known as the N-terminal HEAT repeats. They will use engineered fungal mutants and laboratory experiments to see how this region helps the fungus manage oxidative stress produced by immune cells. The team will measure fungal stress-response systems and metabolic outputs and map physical interactions between Tor1 and redox-related enzymes. All work is done in the lab with fungal cells and molecular methods to identify fungal-specific vulnerabilities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal fungus-specific targets that lead to new antifungal drugs or therapies for people with Candida infections.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has linked TOR signaling to stress responses in fungi, but focusing on the N-terminal HEAT repeats of Candida Tor1 and their unique interactions is a novel and less-explored approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Koehler, Julia R — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Koehler, Julia R
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.