The goal of the Candida Genome Database (CGD) is to implement and develop a database containing comprehensive annotated information about the genome of the human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. C. albicans has become the third or fourth most common nosocomial bloodstream isolate;mortality rates are high (35% or greater) and treatment is costly. It is thus vital that there is a comprehensive and up to date resource for researchers investigating the biology and pathogenesis of C. albicans, as such a resource accelerates their research. In this proposal we propose to improve the C. albicans'genome sequence and its annotation, the incorporation of the genome sequences of other closely related fungi, and curation of the research literature for those organisms. We also propose to incorporate tools for the visualization and searching of microarray data, and to add new protein pages to the database with comprehensive details about predicted proteins encoded by the C. albicans genome. Finally, we propose to continue our core mission of curating the C. albicans literature, extracting gene names, descriptions, phenotypes and Gene Ontology terms from the current literature on an ongoing basis. Together, successful completion of these aims will support and accelerate research into C. albicans, and thus have a positive impact on human health.
C. albicans has become the third or fourth most common nosocomial bloodstream isolate;mortality rates are high (35% or greater) and treatment is costly. While many antifungal compounds do exist, these drugs are often of limited use because of their toxicity and side effects. In addition, there has been an emergence of antifungal resistance in the clinical setting. For example, significant resistance to the azole class of antifungal drugs has developed, especially in HIV-positive adults, where resistant strains are present in 21-32% of symptomatic patients. Thus, there is a need for alternative antifungal agents that are more specifically directed at the fungal cell and less toxic to human cells, and thus it is vital that C. albicans research continue as rapidly as possible. Successful completion of this project, to provide a curated and comprehensive Candida albicans database, will accelerate Candida research, and in doing so will aid in the fight against C. labicans infections, and thus significantly positively impact human health.
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