We are delighted to announce that Professor Derek Sullivan and Professor Gary Moran have been awarded €772,897 by Research Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future programme. The grant is part of a €20m nationwide investment in health, tech, and sustainability research, and includes 22 projects across eight organisations. The initiative was launched today by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD.
Professor Sullivan and Professor Moran’s project entitled ‘The differential role of individual TLO genes in the pathogenesis and anti-fungal resistance of the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans’ will focus on the treatment of fungal disease.
Fungi, which are one of the main forms of life on earth, grow in many different ways, ranging from complex mushrooms to single cell yeasts. One of these single-celled yeast species, Candida albicans (C. albicans, pictured below), normally grows in certain parts of our bodies, but sometimes can cause disease by infecting our tissues. In fact, the World Health Organisation has identified C. albicans as a member of the “critical group” of fungal pathogens requiring urgent investment in research, development, and innovation. This species is very adaptable and can infect different parts of the body, including the mouth, where it can cause oral candidiasis (thrush).
Candida infections are most common in patents with a compromised immune system. While oral infections can be readily treated, on rare occasions C. albicans can enter the bloodstream and cause systemic infections, which can be difficult for doctors to diagnose, and can result in death. The aim of this project is to investigate how a unique expanded family of genes (called TLOs) contributes to the ability of C. albicans to cause disease and to develop antifungal resistance. The team also hopes to investigate if analysis of these genes can help in the discovery of new drugs to treat fungal disease, which will have an enormous impact on healthcare.
Minister Lawless said: “The breadth of research being funded across these 22 projects reflects the exceptional depth and diversity of talent across our research and innovation ecosystem. I congratulate all the awardees and wish them every success as they push the boundaries of knowledge and deliver meaningful innovation.”
