• Universitat de València (80%)
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili (20%)

• Mario Alfonso Inclán Nafría
• Enrique Clavo Manso
• Antonio Enrique García-España Monsonís

Fungal infections are a common health problem that can affect people of all ages and genders. Fungal infections, also known as mycoses, are caused by different types of fungi that can invade the skin, nails, hair and other parts of the body. These infections can range from mild and bothersome to serious and potentially dangerous if they are not treated properly.

Treatment requires antifungals topically, orally or intravenously in more severe cases. Fungal infections are difficult to treat due to the similarity between fungal and human cells, so the search for compounds that would be effective against fungi and also safe for humans is complicated.

Currently, only four families of compounds are available for the treatment of systemic infections caused by fungi,azoles, echinocandids, pyrimidines and polyenes. However, these drugs show adverse effects ranging from mild to severe. Furthermore, the emergence of resistance to antifungals has important implications for the morbidity and mortality of mycoses.

Therefore, there is a need to find new, safer and more specific treatments.

Researchers at the Universitat de València and Universitat Rovira i Virgili have demonstrated the use of compounds belonging to a family or chemical class called azapyridinophanes as antifungals, with a very notable antifungal activity against both yeasts and molds.

These compounds are active against both the wild strain and the azole-resistant strain of A. fumigatus, a mold that is included in the list of the four most dangerous pathogens (Critical Group) of the WHO.

The main application of the technology is in the pharmaceutical and/or veterinary sector, as a drug or active ingredient for the treatment of fungal infections in humans and/or animals.

The main advantages provided by the invention are:

• Lower toxicity than reference compounds.
• Lower treatment costs and easier to produce.
• Easily scalable production of the compounds.

• Patent applied