(591f) Towards Rational Design of Effective CRISPR-Cas Antifungals

The emergence of virulent, resistant, and rapidly evolving fungal pathogens poses a significant threat to public health, agriculture, and the environment. Targeting cellular processes with standard small-molecule intervention may be effective but requires long development times and is prone to antibiotic resistance. To overcome the current limitation of antibiotic development and treatment, this study harnesses CRISPR-Cas systems as antifungals by capitalizing on their adaptability, specificity, and efficiency in target design. Simultaneous co-targeting of both essential and defensive genes is shown to be a novel design principle for formulating effective CRISPR-Cas antifungals that can be rapidly tuned to adapt to inevitable escapee events.