Understanding fungal cell walls to help develop better antifungal drugs
Revealing the Cell Wall Organization of Fungal Pathogens and Structural Responses to Antifungal Drugs Using Cellular Solid-State NMR
The team will use a powerful imaging method to map how the walls of disease-causing fungi are built and change, aiming to help people who get serious fungal infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Michigan State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11245778 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work uses solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) to map the tiny molecular architecture of fungal cell walls in three major pathogens: Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Researchers will track how wall components are arranged, how they move, and how they remodel when exposed to antifungal drugs. The project links these structural and mechanical properties to how virulent the fungi are and how they develop drug resistance. The goal is to produce detailed models that drug developers can use to design safer, more effective wall-targeting therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This research is most relevant to people affected by invasive fungal infections—especially patients with Aspergillus, Candida, or Cryptococcus infections and those who are immunocompromised or have limited treatment options.
Not a fit: People with unrelated medical conditions or only mild, superficial fungal infections (like common athlete's foot or nail fungus) are unlikely to see direct benefit from this lab-based project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new antifungal targets and lead to treatments that are more effective and less toxic for people with invasive fungal infections.
How similar studies have performed: Related structural techniques have advanced understanding of microbial components, but applying high-resolution ssNMR to intact fungal cell walls is relatively new and remains exploratory.
Where this research is happening
East Lansing, United States
- Michigan State University — East Lansing, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Tuo — Michigan State University
- Study coordinator: Wang, Tuo
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 below.