Current state of three-dimensional characterisation of antifungal targets and its use for molecular modelling in drug design.

The alarming rise in life-threatening systemic fungal infections due to the emergence of drug-resistant fungal strains had produced an increased demand for new antimycotics, especially those targeting novel antifungal structures. Drug discovery has developed from screening natural products and chemical synthesis to a modern approach, namely structure-based drug design. Whilst many antifungal agents currently in use were discovered more than 30 years ago, characterisation of various drug targets has only been achieved recently, contributing immensely to understanding the structure-activity relationships of antifungals and their targets. Three-dimensional characterisation has become a well established tool for modern antifungal drug research and should play an important role in investigations for new antifungal agents.