Discovery and Characterization of a Peptoid with Antifungal Activity against Cryptococcus neoformans .

Studies show there is an increasing rate of fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised patients and treatments for fungal genera, such as Aspergillus , Candida , and Cryptococcus , carry significant cytotoxicity with an increasing prevalence of antifungal resistance. We have previously reported a high-throughput assay for identifying peptoids with antimicrobial properties from combinatorial libraries. Here we report the application of this assay in identifying a peptoid with antifungal properties against Cryptococcus neoformans . Termed AEC5, this peptoid has comparable potency to existing clinical antifungal agents, excellent stability, and minimal cytotoxicity in mammalian cells.