PhD defence W. (Wilson) Lim

Summary: Mycetoma is an infectious and inflammatory neglected tropical disease endemic in counties in the tropics and subtropics. This disease is characterised by tumorous swellings and discharge of pus and grains. Mycetoma can be caused by bacteria (actinomycetoma) and fungi (eumycetoma). 

To better manage the disease, improvements in the diagnosis and treatment process needs to be done. Here, we have improved the diagnosis of mycetoma by creating a new identification tool for its most common fungal causative agent. This identification tool now allows us to identify causative agents within a few hours. Treatment of mycetoma is disappointing. It involves a treatment duration of more than >1 year, with recurrences being common. We searched for novel drugs to treat mycetoma by using an open-access drug repurposing approach. We have identified 4 promising drug classes for further research after screening >1300 drugs and compounds in vitro and in vivo. We next explored inhibiting melanin as an alternative treatment approach. The combination of melanin inhibition and antifungal treatment shows promise in vitro.