Antifungals
Fighting a cell far more like our own — polyenes, azoles, echinocandins and the rest.
Antifungals Part 1: Polyenes & Azoles
Killing a fungus is far harder than killing a bacterium — because a fungus is built almost like us. Both are complex cells with a nucleus, so there are precious few differences to exploit, and the drugs that do exist often border on toxic. Yet fungi make one telltale molecule we don't, and nearly every antifungal aims straight at it. Find that molecule, and the whole field snaps into focus.
Antifungals Part 2: Echinocandins & Others
If ergosterol is a target fungi share partly with us, is there anything a fungus has that we truly lack? Yes — a cell wall, just like bacteria. The newest antifungals exploit that, delivering safe, powerful treatment for the most common serious fungal infections. And a handful of other clever drugs finish the toolkit, from the pill that cures athlete's foot to the one that treats fungal meningitis by sneaking into the fungus's own DNA.
