New biomarkers to predict which patients will develop invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Agostinho Carvalho

  • PROJECT LEADER

    Agostinho Carvalho

  • HOST ORGANIZATION,
    COUNTRY

    Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal

  • DESCRIPTION

    Aspergillosis is an infection caused by the fungus Aspergillus, which is present everywhere in the air we breathe, both outdoors and indoors. Most people inhale Aspergillus spores every day without becoming ill, but those with pre-existing conditions or weakened immune systems are at risk. It affects the respiratory system; severe infection can lead to pneumonia and may spread to other parts of the body, being associated with high levels of mortality due to the severity of its clinical manifestations and resistance to current antifungal treatments. It is estimated that more than 2 million people worldwide contract the infection each year, and that 60-80 % of these patients die from it annually.

    However, although immunocompromised patients are most at risk of infection, not all of them become infected despite being exposed to the fungus in the same way. One possible explanation for this variability may be related to a certain genetic predisposition. In fact, previous studies have identified some genetic factors that increase the risk of developing the disease, although they do not explain the underlying biological mechanisms.

    In this regard, the project aims to identify the genetic variations that control immunity to this fungus and the molecular mechanisms that predispose to the disease in immunosuppressed patients. This will open the door to identifying new biomarkers to predict the risk of infection, as well as potential therapeutic targets for personalised treatments.

  • PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

    • Vinod Kumar, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    • Coral Barbas, Centre of Metabolomics and Bioanalysis (CEMBIO), CEU San Pablo University, Madrid, Spain

  • PROJECT TITLE

    A High-Resolution Functional Genomics Approach to Inform Precision Medicine for Fungal Disease

  • BUDGET

    €999,898.43

    *Award-winning project in collaboration with the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia