Chennai: Researchers from the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI (WSAI), IIT Madras, and ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH), Mumbai, have developed a unique systems biology approach to combat Candida albicans, a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections with mortality rates as high as 63 per cent.

The team integrated the fungal metabolic model iRV781 with the human metabolic model Recon3D to simulate host-pathogen interactions and identify hidden metabolic vulnerabilities. Their study highlighted the role of arginine metabolism in C. albicans pathogenicity and identified the enzyme ALT1 as a critical metabolic bottleneck, validated in laboratory and animal models.

Led by Prof Karthik Raman of IIT Madras and Prof Susan Thomas of ICMR-NIRRCH, the research combines computational modelling with experimental validation, offering new directions for antifungal drug discovery. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Communication and Signaling.

“This groundbreaking research opens opportunities to diversify antifungal drugs and bypass resistance, with the ultimate goal of improving patient survival and reducing treatment costs,” Prof Raman said. Dr Thomas added that the integrated host-fungal model provided insights not evident in conventional laboratory studies.

Systemic candidiasis, caused primarily by C. albicans, affects over 1.5 million people globally each year and results in nearly one million deaths, according to recent estimates. India records about 4.7 lakh cases annually.

The researchers said the next phase of the project will involve clinical collaborations to test findings in patient samples and explore translation into antifungal therapies.