New Publication

Graphical Abstract. From: Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(2), 286.

Our new publication by Grigory Bolotnikov, Daniel Gruber, Jan-Christoph Walter, Kim Kühnel, Turgay Kemal, Armando Rodriguez, Nico Preising, Ludger Ständker, Carolina Firacative, Barbara Spellerberg, Steffen Stenger, Frank Rosenau and Ann-Kathrin Kissmann presents an innovative strategy to address the growing challenge of antifungal resistance in infections caused by Candida albicans, Candidozyma auris and Candida parapsilosis. As resistance to current antifungals continues to rise, we explored neutralizing antimicrobial peptides (nAMPs) that modulate pathogenic behavior rather than killing fungal cells directly. Using a newly established whole-cell phage display workflow with the Ph.D.-12 library, we conducted three independent biopanning processes against the respective Candida species and identified species-selective, high-affinity peptides that are non-cytotoxic to human cells and do not affect planktonic Candida viability. Instead, these peptides inhibit early biofilm formation and, in several cases, delay biofilm maturation effectively neutralizing a key virulence factor without inducing cell death. Our findings demonstrate that whole-cell phage display is a powerful and adaptable discovery platform for identifying targeted, non-toxic peptides and provide a sustainable addition to the antifungal research toolbox.

Link to publication: Phage Display-Derived Peptides Have Neutralizing Activities Against Biofilm Formation by Candida albicans, Candidozyma auris and Candida parapsilosis