FUNGITECT · Optimized Diagnostics for Improved Treatment Stratification in Invasive Fungal Diseases

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the growing number of immunocompromised individuals, including particularly cancer patients, and bone-marrow or organ transplant recipients. The majority of IFD events are still caused by Candida and Aspergillus species, but there is an increasing incidence of resistant or previously uncommon moulds, yeasts and Zygomycetes. Timely pathogen detection is a prerequisite for effective therapy in patients with IFD.FUNGITECT will focus on this medical priority and develop, validate and market a specific set of novel molecular diagnostic tests for IFD targeting fungal DNA-, RNA- and protein motifs, as well as the enzymatic activity of fungal pathogens. Additionally, FUNGITECT will provide a unique opportunity to establish and implement highly effective diagnostic assays supported by Next-Generation Sequencing and a bioinformatics service platform, facilitating optimized treatment strategies adapted to individual patient requirements with the following paramount aims: i) to provide the diagnostic basis for stratified and timely administration of the most appropriate antifungal therapy permitting improved management of patients with IFD, ii) to decrease the rate of overtreatment and the ensuing adverse side effects including fungal resistance, and iii) to help reduce the enormous healthcare costs for clinical antifungal therapy. The consortium includes leading academic research institutions, SMEs and Industry already successfully positioned in the market.