QBI presents a seminar with Iuliana Ene, Assistant Professor at Institut Pasteur, who leads a junior group in the Departments of Mycology and Genomes & Genetics.

Dr. Ene's group studies how fungal pathogens acquire drug resistance and how population heterogeneity can be leveraged to escape antifungal treatment. Previously, she was a postdoc and a Research Assistant Professor at Brown University, USA. She received a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Aberdeen, UK. Dr.Ene is also a CIFAR Global Scholar in the Fungal Kingdom: Threats & Opportunities Program.

Dr. Ene's seminar talk will cover the diverse mechanisms through which Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, responds and adapts to antifungal treatment. The presence of population heterogeneity gives rise to intriguing phenomena like tolerance and heteroresistance, affording cells the means to evade azole drugs, the most widely employed class of antifungals. Additionally, she will present her group's exploration of the advancement of novel compounds capable of synergizing with these antifungals, effectively restoring their efficacy.

Talk Title: Beyond Drug Resistance: Adaptations and Innovations in Antifungal Strategies

Host: Jason Sello