Identification of new compounds with antifungal activity from Brazilian biodiversity

• Grant number: 25/01505-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Marilia Valli
• Grantee: Alice Rhelly Veloso Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The emergence of pathogenic fungi resistant to a limited number of antifungal agents represents a significant threat to human health. This scenario highlights the need to develop new antifungal drugs that act on molecular targets and guarantee therapeutic efficacy and selectivity. The identification of natural products with antifungal properties, integrating modern multidisciplinary aspects of the field of scientific research in the areas of natural products and medicinal chemistry is the strategy of this project. The objectives of the project include the selection of compounds with appropriate properties and characteristics from the BrNPDB and LaNAPDB databases, virtual screening for the identification of natural products with antifungal activity, and obtaining and evaluating the hits identified. Another strategy will be to use artificial intelligence algorithms to create models for predicting the molecular targets of natural products by searching for structural similarities. The objectives proposed in this research project will be achieved through the establishment of appropriate bases for its full development, making use of the infrastructure of the Biodiversity Medicinal Chemistry Group (FCFRP/USP), coordinated by Prof. Marilia Valli, in collaboration with Prof. Ricardo Roberto da Silva, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (FCFRP-USP) and Prof. Jose Medina-Franco, Faculty of Chemistry, University of São Paulo (FCFRP-USP). (AU)