Medical Breakthrough-Synthetic polymers provide hope in the fight against invasive fungal infections
UNSW Sydney researchers are developing novel alternatives for treating fungal infections urgently required to alleviate the global health burden.
Engineers from UNSW have developed a series of synthetic polymers that offers a promising alternative to current antifungal drugs.
It is estimated that there are around 6.5 million instances of severe fungal infection globally every year, resulting in up to 3.8 million annual deaths. Current commonly used drugs have potential issues with causing toxicity, especially in the liver, while strains of fungi are becoming more resistant to medications due to their prolonged and widespread use, making treatment less effective.