 |
Partner 1: Al Brown
University of Aberdeen
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/staff/details.php?id=al.brown
|
 |
ESR1 (Partner 1): Iryna Bohovich
Research interest: Coordinate regulation of glucose and stress responses and the fitness of Candida albicans.
In spite of intensive studies over the last decade, the mechanistic links between pathogenicity with stress adaptation in Candida albicans are poorly understood. From previous investigations in our laboratory, it is now known that exposure to glucose enhances the stress resistance of C. albicans, but the mechanisms by which glucose influences stress signalling are not known. According to present knowledge, C. albicans is extremely sensitive to glucose and modulates its metabolism in response to even very low concentrations of glucose in medium. In addition, oxidative and osmotic stress response genes, as well as genes involved in drug responses, are up-regulated in response to glucose. The main aim of my first-year research is to find key molecules that coordinate the regulation of glucose and stress responses in C. albicans. |
 |
ESR2 (Partner 1): Iuliana Ene
Research interest: Dynamic environmental responses of C. albicans that contribute to pathogenicity
The virulence of the medically important fungal pathogen, Candida albicans is dependent on robust responses to environmental stress. My project focuses on the dynamic environmental responses of C. albicans that contribute to pathogenicity and in particular on the impact of non-fermentative growth upon responses to osmotic stress. The aim of the project is to extend previous work on osmotic stress response in C. albicans on fermentative carbon sources and dynamic models in S. cerevisiae. Measuring the kinetic response of C. albicans to osmotic stress during growth on non-fermentable carbon sources will allow, in collaboration with Professor Edda Klipp’s group, generation of predictive mathematical models of C. albicans osmo-adaptation. Moreover, this will guide the experimental dissection of those regulators that contribute most to the control of stress responses imposed under experimental conditions that are more relevant to the infection process. |
 |
Partner 1: Andy Porter
University of Aberdeen, UK
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/staff/details.php?id=a.porter
|
 |
ESR 3 (Partner 1): Abhishek Saxena
Research interest: Generation of candidate diagnostic and therapeutic molecules for the detection and prevention of Candida infections
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 2: Christophe d'Enfert
Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
http://www.pasteur.fr/bpf
|
 |
ExR 1 (Partner 2): Sadri Znaidi
Research interest: Identification of C. albicans genes involved in biofilm formation in vivo
The aim of my project is to study the phenotypic responses of pools of barcoded Candida albicans strains suring growth under different environmental conditions (nutritional stress, antifungal treatment, biofilm growth, filamentation, invasion of host cells, etc.). Each barcoded strain overexpresses an open reading frame placed under the control of a strong inducible promoter. Growth of the different pools is monitored and analyzed using functional genomics and bioinformatics tools. |
 |
ESR 4 (Partner 2): Vitor Cabral
Research interest: Identification of novel C. albicans genes involved in biofilm formation
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 3: Bernard Hube
HKI, Jena, Germany
http://www.hki-jena.de/index.php/e79ddcf88ce2a5cec8e37eaba024b87f/2/38
|
 |
ESR 5 (Partner 3): Pedro Miramon-Martinez
Research interest: Molecular dissection of the interactions between Candida albicans and polymorphonuclear granulocytes
The aim of this project is to (a) elucidate the mechanisms by which neutrophils detect, inhibit and kill C. albicans, how the fungus responds to these activities and to identify and characterise fungal genes and factors involved in these processes; (b) to identify and characterise the principle differences between interactions of C. albicans with neutrophils and macrophages.
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 4: Joachim Ernst
University of Dusseldorf, Germany
http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/MathNat/mikrobio/ernst/index.htm
|
 |
ESR 6 (Partner 4): Quentin Lagadec
Research interest: Efg1 regulatory circuits in C. albicans
The aim of this project is to (a) elucidate the mechanisms by which neutrophils detect, inhibit and kill C. albicans, how the fungus responds to these activities and to identify and characterise fungal genes and factors involved in these processes; (b) to identify and characterise the principle differences between interactions of C. albicans with neutrophils and macrophages. |
| |
|
 |
Partner 5: Mathias Richard (and Claude Gaillardin)
INRA, France
http://www.grignon.inra.fr/genetique/virulence/sommaire.php3
|
 |
ESR 7 (Partner 5): Daniela Ifrim
Research interest: Contribution of cell wall proteins to virulence
The project hypothesis is that cell surface proteins play a prominent role between Candida albicans and host interactions. The aim of this project is to perform a comprehensive analysis of the contribution of cell wall proteins to the virulence. Therefore the research consists in screening of a comprehensive library of ~100 cell wall mutants for cell wall and virulence-related phenotypes. Together with other Network Partners, Daniela will further characterize the cell wall composition of selected mutants, their interaction with cells of the immune system and their virulence in animal models. She will also analyze the transcriptome of these mutants under infection-mimicking conditions. This will provide the first comprehensive view of the roles of cell wall proteins in C. albicans pathogenesis and will highlight novel cell wall targets for antifungal drug development.
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 6: Frans Klis
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/f.m.klis/
|
 |
ESR 8 (Partner 6): Alice Sorgo
Research interest: Dynamics of the cell wall proteome of C. albicans in response to micro-aerobic conditions, iron restriction, and azole drugs
The cell wall proteome of C. albicans is known to be very dynamic under changing environmental conditions and plays an important role in fitness and virulence. We want to investigate how the cell wall proteome of C. albicans contributes to the fungus’ survival and virulence under these three biochemically related and medically relevant stress conditions. We want to measure the qualitative as well as the quantitative changes that it undergoes to adapt to these conditions by applying mass spectrometry. In addition, transcriptome analysis will be used to support these data and to help elucidating the signaling pathways that are regulating the incorporation of individual cell wall proteins. Our research will improve the understanding of how C. albicans copes with various infection-associated stress conditions, how individual cell wall protein levels are controlled, and might suggest potential targets for vaccine development and diagnostic markers.
|
 |
ESR 9 (Partner 6): Clemens Heilmann
Research interest: Development of CWP-based vaccines against candidiasis and detection of diagnostic markers
Understanding the dynamics of the covalently anchored cell wall proteins (CWPs) will allow us to identify novel clinical markers as well as select useful targets for antifungal and vaccine development. To study these dynamics we use a combination of 15N metabolic labeling and advanced mass spectrometric techniques that allow us to quantify the CWPs under different conditions. Our first goal is to compare the CWP profiles of yeast and hyphal cells using different hyphal inducers. We will complement our research by micro array analysis. Next, we want to develop a method for the absolute quantification of CWPs based on current proteomic platform technologies. These results will then be used to identify the most suitable CWP peptides for the development of CWP peptide-based vaccines in collaboration with other FINSysB partners.
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 7: Anna Vecchiarelli-
University of Perugia, Italy
|
| |
ESR 10 (Partner 7): Neelam Pandey
Research interest: Cell signaling pathways induced by C. albicans in the presence or absence of protective antibodies - implications for therapy
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 8: Mihai Netea
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
|
 |
ESR 11 (Partner 8): Shin-Chin (James) Cheng
Research interest: Escape mechanisms of C. albicans from host defences
My research interest is to understand the mechanism of Candida albicans and host immune system interaction. Since the interaction involves both parties, so I will also assess from two different angles: one on the C. albicans’ side, and another on host’s side. For the first one, I will focus on how C. albicans modulate host immune responses for its own benefit, such as downregulate host immune responses and cytokine production, etc. On the host’s side, I will mainly concentrate on how host recognize C. albicans and which component(s) is seen by host and what will be the down stream signaling
|
 |
ESR 12 (Partner8): Diana Rosentul
Research interest: Genetic susceptibility to Candida infections
The main research point is the study of the human polymorphisms associated to a higher predisposition to present Candida albicans related diseases, which are related to the recognition of the yeast by the innate immune system as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mayor accomplishment expected is to compare the clinical data to the genotype of the patients in order to determine which pathogenetic mechanisms are more important for the development of a fungal infection. One would also expect that understanding the genetic susceptibility to Candida infections will permit a setter prognosis of patients at risk, leading to improved prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 10: Naama Barkai
Weizmann Institute, Israel
http://barkai-serv.weizmann.ac.il/GroupPage/
|
| |
ExR 3 (Partner 10): Malcolm McLean
Research interest: Bioinformatic analysis of the C. albicans transcriptome
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 11: Jason Oliver (and Mike Birch)
F2G Ltd, Manchester, UK
http://www.f2g.com/
|
| |
ESR 14 (Partner11): Kate Dobb
Research interest: Validation of Essential Gene Targets as broad spectrum antifungal targets
|
| |
|
 |
Partner 12: Edda Klipp
Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
http://www2.hu-berlin.de/biologie/theorybp/
|
 |
ESR 13 (Partner 12): Katarzyna Tyc
Research interest: Bioinformatic analysis of the C. albicans transcriptome
|
