Defining global antifungal azole resistance in Aspergillus – enhancing diagnostics and driving drug discovery

Impact: Health and wellbeing, Policy, Economic

Narrative

The University of Manchester (UoM) has led internationally in describing the methodology, mechanisms and implications of azole resistance in Aspergillus, a common airborne fungus causing life-threatening lung diseases called aspergillosis. Such resistance is a major clinical problem because the best (and only oral) antifungal drugs are azoles. The UoM team’s research has led to the following impacts: i) developed and validated a standardised antifungal susceptibility testing method, now a global reference method, ii) enabled documentation of resistance in every continent, iii) driven new antifungal drug development (>USD300,000,000 investment) and iv) spawned one commercial product detecting resistance, sold in >25 countries.
Impact date1 Aug 201331 Jul 2020
Category of impactHealth and wellbeing, Policy, Economic
Impact levelAdoption

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Lydia Becker Institute