Undisclosed intracellular fungal target

The Undisclosed intracellular fungal target refers to a novel, currently unidentified molecular component within fungal cells that is the primary site of action for the siderophore-like antifungal agent BAL2062 (formerly known as GR-2397, ASP2397, or VL-2397) [4, 42]. BAL2062 is a cyclic hexapeptide natural product that mimics fungal siderophores, allowing it to be actively and selectively imported into the cytoplasm of pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus via the Sit1 transporter [25, 47]. Once inside the cell, the molecule interacts with this undisclosed target to exert potent and rapid fungicidal effects, distinct from the mechanisms of existing antifungal classes like azoles or echinocandins [38, 49]. Because the Sit1 transporter is absent in mammalian cells, this pathway offers a high degree of selectivity for fungal pathogens over human host cells [44, 47]. While the target is of significant therapeutic interest for treating invasive aspergillosis and other resistant fungal infections, its exact molecular identity remains proprietary or has not yet been fully elucidated in scientific literature [4, 49].

Other names

Unidentified intracellular fungal targetBAL2062 targetGR-2397 targetASP2397 targetVL-2397 target

The drug is actively transported into the fungal cytoplasm via the Sit1 siderophore transporter and interacts with an undisclosed intracellular target to induce rapid fungicidal activity [25, 42].