New antifungal molecule kills fungi without toxicity in human cells, mice.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new antifungal molecule that has the potential to effectively kill fungi without causing toxicity in human cells. The molecule, called AM-2-19, was created by modifying the structure of the existing antifungal drug Amphotericin B. The researchers discovered that Amphotericin B kills fungi by extracting ergosterol from fungal cells, and they used this knowledge to modify the drug and reduce its interaction with cholesterol, thereby reducing its toxicity. AM-2-19 has shown promising results in in vitro assays, cell cultures, and live mice, and it has entered Phase 1 clinical trials. [Extracted from the article]