HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTION

Fungal pathogenicity represents a newly established research topic in my group, which will be the major focus in the coming years. We are studying routes by which Candida albicans intrudes mammalian host cells. We pursue highly integrative global approaches to study C. albicans genes and regulators implicated in tissue penetration, taking advantage of in vitro as well as in vivo mammalian host systems such as mouse models. We define the order of events during host-pathogen interaction, emphasizing both immediate early and long-term effects of adhesion and subsequent host cell invasion. We also study components of signaling and stress response pathways that allow pathogens to efficiently escape the host immune defense. The goal is to identify novel target genes for the development of therapeutics that block fungal virulence.