Research Description:

Mechanisms of Antifungal Drug Resistance

The purpose of my research project is to explore the efficacy of a new and emerging drug, Caspofungin (Caspo), on a commonly known strain of Candida albicans, a type of fungus. To begin this project, first I plan to perform a test to find out the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Caspo. The MIC is the minimum amount of drug needed to completely inhibit the growth of the fungus. This test is known as the susceptibility test. From these results, I will determine an appropriate drug concentration that is 4 to 8 times the MIC of Caspo. The next step is to plate different numbers of cells (inocula) of C. albicans on plates containing Caspo. The breakthrough rate will then be determined by counting the number of breakthrough colonies or Caspo resistant colonies. The colonies that break through will then be checked for true resistance to Caspo. Subsequently, these breakthrough colonies will be subjected to a susceptibility test. I expect the MIC values for this test to be higher than the MIC value of the original strain. If all goes as expected, I will look at these truly resistant strains at the molecular level to determine which genes are causing the resistance and how these genes function.