Development of therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies for life-threatening fungal infections

Over 1 million people die every year from a serious fungal disease. One major cause of these diseases is the fungal pathogen Candida. Treatment is restricted to three main classes of synthetic drugs which are poorly tolerated and have increasing problems due to drug resistance. Biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), have revolutionised the treatment of other diseases. We are developing first-in-class antifungal mAbs to address the unmet need for safer antifungal drugs which are effective against drug-resistant infections. We have cloned naturally-occurring mAb genes from the B cells of recovered patients. These mAbs protect mice from Candida bloodstream infection and show great potential for treating drug-resistant infections. We will optimise these mAbs for therapeutic use and test in mouse models of drug-resistant infection, accelerating development of this urgently required new class of antifungals. Ultimately, these new agents have great potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.