| Date | 2026.4.28 (15：30 - 17：00) |
|---|---|
| Venue |
Lecture Room L1151, 5th Fl., Building 11, Koganei Campus, TUAT Meeting ID:817 2321 1526 Passcode:962313 |
| Speaker | Dr. Micha Fridman |
| Affiliation | Tel Aviv University (Israel) |
| Title | " Using Chemical Biology to Study Antifungal Drug Mechanisms and Resistance" ＜要旨＞ Fungal infections are an increasing global health concern, and the rapid emergence of resistance to antifungal drugs makes treatment more difficult. Addressing this challenge requires a clear understanding of how antifungal agents function inside living cells, as well as the mechanisms that enable fungi to evade their effects. This lecture introduces a chemical biology approach to studying antifungal drugs. It focuses on the design and use of fluorescent chemical probes, which are modified versions of clinically used antifungal agents that emit light and can be visualized under a microscope. These probes make it possible to directly observe where drugs localize within fungal cells and how this localization influences their biological activity. Using examples from the three major classes of antifungal drugs, azoles, echinocandins, and polyenes, the lecture shows how intracellular distribution plays a central role in drug effectiveness. Drug accumulation at the site of the molecular target can enhance potency, while mislocalization can reduce activity. Imaging approaches also reveal how resistant fungal cells alter drug behavior, for example by increasing drug efflux or by sequestering compounds in specific intracellular compartments. The lecture also explores how these insights can be used to understand structure–activity relationships and guide the design of improved antifungal agents. In some cases, small and precise chemical modifications to existing drugs can restore their activity against resistant strains. This highlights the importance of molecular-level design in overcoming resistance. By combining concepts from chemistry and biology, this lecture demonstrates how chemical biology provides a powerful framework for visualizing drug action in real time. These approaches deepen understanding of cellular processes and support the development of more effective strategies to combat antifungal resistance |
| Language | English |
| Intended for | 【Student Only】Everyone is welcome to join. |
| Organized by | Institute of Global Innovation “LLFE SCIENCE” Sakurai Team |
| Contact | Institute of Global Innovation Research, Institute of Engineering Prof. Kaori Sakurai e-mail: sakuraik(at)cc.tuat.ac.jp |
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