Rice University on groundbreaking research: 'Our study is the first to show that, indeed, these molecules can be effective against fungi'

Light-activated nanoscale drills could be the key to getting rid of stubborn fungal infections like athlete's foot, according to new research by Rice University scientists. 

This groundbreaking research could be significant relief for those suffering from athlete's foot, which has impacted an estimated 70% of the population at some point in their lives, Texas-based Rice University said in a press release.  Their work, recently published in Advanced Science, is inspired by the pioneering efforts of Nobel laureate Bernard Feringa.

Dr. James Tour, the T.T. and W. F. Chao professor of chemistry at Rice, along with Rice alumna Ana Santos and graduate student Jacob Beckham, found the molecular machines they created not only work against cancer cells and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but also work to treat infections caused by pathogenic fungi. The study found that the visible-light activated nanoscale drills didn't encounter any signs of fungal resistance. The rotators on the molecular machines, which spin 2 to 3 million rotations each second, disrupted the fungal cells' metabolic processes leading to the cells' demise. 

“Dr. Tour posed the question of whether they can also kill fungi, which had never been explored before,” co-author Santos, who is a Marie Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellow at Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Islas Baleares in Spain, said in the release. “Our study is the first to show that, indeed, these molecules can also be effective against fungi."

Patients with weakened immune systems, such as cancer or organ transplant patients, have a greater risk for developing fungal infections. It costs more than $7 billion each year to treat bacterial infections in the United States, the release said. The situation grew worse during COVID-19 since toward the beginning of the pandemic, immunosuppressant drugs were relied upon to mitigate long-term organ damage associated with the virus. Unfortunately, this approach inadvertently resulted in a rise in fungal infections.

"Mucormycosis, commonly referred to a 'black fungus', is a typically rare fungal infection that emerged as a consequence of the overuse of immunosuppressants," Santos said. "We aim to develop a fungal infection treatment that does not further strain a weakened immune system, and we believe thee molecular machines could be a viable solution."

In the release, Santos spoke about antifungal resistance, a growing concern. She highlighted the role of agricultural practices in contributing to resistance in humans. "Antifungals are commonly used in agriculture to combat fungal infestations that damage crops. However, many of these antifungal drugs are also employed in human medicine," she said in the release. "Overuse of antifungals can lead to resistance not only in plant pathogens but also in fungi that are harmful to humans."

Funding for the project was provided by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Discovery Institute, the Robert A. Welch Foundation and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.