1. Candida Labs
And how to conquer.

2. Peep This.
P. David Rogers
Peter Pappas
David Perlin
William Hope

3. David Perlin Ph.D.
Dr. Perlin has helped establish PHRI as a leading center for research in infectious diseases with an emphasis on clinical research involving tuberculosis, HIV and other viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Dr. Perlin lectures on resistant and hospital acquired infections, and regularly comments in mainstream media outlets, such as the New York Times

4. Focus of Study
The Perlin lab is interested in mechanisms of antifungal drug resistance, rapid detection of bloodstream and respiratory pathogens in high-risk patients, and the application of small animal models for respiratory pathogens.
Thus, the focus of the Perlin lab is not just Candida but rather resistance and detection on a larger scale encompassing various types of fungi and respiratory viruses and develop methods on solving those problems.

5. Other Studies
They are also studying the mechanism of triazole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus.
They study nucleic acid PCR- and NASBA-based molecular beacon platforms for rapid identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens in KPC, MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp.
Developing panels for the rapid detection of some common respiratory viruses.

6. Publications
4 publications on PubMed during this year, all of which are on Candida.
Around 40 different publications in the past few years

7. Sponsors
Supported by grants from the NIH, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Pharma and biotech sectors

8. Committees
He is on the editorial board of several scientific journals and participates in NIH reviews of grants
the Board of Directors of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center
Scientific/Medical Advisory Boards for Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, ElusysPharmaceuticals, Inc., Myconostica, LTD, BioDelivery Sciences Int’l., and PinnacleCare.
Member of the New York City Department of Health Advisory Panel on Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections

9. Research Group
Executive Director and President at Public Health Research Institute Center at the UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School

10. Patents: He has a few Number Description 20100075302 20100221710
Assays for Resistance to Echinocandin-Class Drugs - Nucleic acid amplification assays for mutations to two short sections of the fungal gene FKS1Also, primers, probes and reagent kits for performing such assays.
Assays For Fungal Infection - Methods and kits are described for testing for the presence or absence of any fungus in a sample.
Detecting Triazole Resistance In Aspergillus -. The methods comprise evaluating the sample for the presence of a gene encoding a mutant AzRF1 transcription factor, or the level of the transcription factor, to determine whether a fungus is triazole-resistant. Primers, probes and kits also are provided.

11. Peter Pappas M.D. 
Dr. Peter G. Pappas M.D. is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Dr. Pappas graduated from University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and completed his residency (internal medicine) and fellowship (infectious disease) at the University of Washington.

12. Focus of Study
Pappas has a focus on infections in immunocompromised hosts, with a specific focus on the invasive mycoses.
His main areas of research interest have included the development of new therapies for fungal infections and understanding the epidemiology of candidiasis, the endemic mycoses, and cryptococcosis.

13. Other Studies
He has led a number of randomized clinical trials in cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, sporotrichosis, blastomycosis, and histoplasmosis.
He is also interested in transplant associated infections including the invasive mycoses.

14. Publications
Dr. Pappas has published more than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, over 50 chapters, over 130 abstracts for scientific meetings, and has co-authored 6 books
He has had 11 publications this year including 4 on Candida

15. Sponsors
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Infectious Diseases’ research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The Mycoses Study Group is funded by the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

16. Committees Member of Clinical Advisory Board of T2 Biosystems, Inc
Principal Investigator for the MSG, a clinical trials group that performs international multicenter trials, creates treatment guidelines for invasive mycoses, and describes the evolving epidemiology of fungal infections.

17. Committees cont.
Principal Investigator of the Organ Transplant Infection Detection and Prevention Program, a collaborative multicenter group funded by CDC to explore the risk factors and epidemiology of transplant associated infections.
He is also the PI of a national network of transplant centers, TRANSNET, in conjunction with CDC. TRANSNET provides important epidemiologic and treatment information concerning transplant recipients who develop proven and probable invasive fungal infections.

18. Affiliations American College of Physicians (fellow)
American Society for Microbiology
Infectious Diseases Society of America (member)
American Federation of Clinical Research
Southern Society of Clinical Investigation

19. Patents
None found

20. P. David Rogers Pharm.D., PhD
P. David Rogers is a leading researcher in clinical pharmacy and medical mycology
Named First Tennessee Chair in 2006.
Dr. Rogers is Associate Dean for Translational Research for the College of Pharmacy
Professor and Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.

21. Focus of Study
The interests of Dr. David Rogers’ lab revolve around three areas central to the management of infections due to C. albicans:
1) the molecular basis for the mechanism of specific antifungal agents. More specifically some Azole antifungals.
2) molecular mechanisms of antifungal resistance
3) the role of the innate immune response in the interaction between C. albicans and the host.

22. Other Studies
Many of his recent studies are generally around Candida. He doesn’t seem to have many recent publications that are unrelated.
His current work focuses on the elucidation of the molecular basis of antifungal resistance and tolerance in the pathogenic fungi Candida albicans and Candida glabrata which seems to be very similar to what the Perlin lab seems to be working on.

23. Publications
P. David Rogers has authored more than 60 publications and published over 100 scientific abstracts.
Many of them are about Candida too.

24. Sponsors
His studies are supported through grants from associations, industry, and the National Institutes of Health.

25. Committees Dr. Rogers is :
an elected Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy
member of the American Society for Microbiology
the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists,
the Infectious Diseases Society of America
He serves as a reviewer for multiple peer reviewed journals and funding agencies and is a member of several editorial boards

26. Research Group
Currently, the research is being at what seems to be the College of Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center which seems fairly similar to what we are doing here.
Either that, or the work is coming from the Children's Foundation Research Center in Tennessee.

27. Patents
None Found

28. William Hope MBBS, PhD, FRCPA, FRACP
William Hope is an Infectious Diseases Physician who studies antimicrobial pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
NIHR Clinician Scientist, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases
TB lead for University Hospital South Manchester and provide infectious diseases support for solid organ transplant recipients

29. Focus of Study
His work focuses mostly on animicrobial pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling techniques like PK and Monte Carlo simulation.
Techniques are applied to diseases that are difficult to study and to special populations.
He is interested in the individualization of antimicrobial therapy to achieve drug exposure targets that maximize the probability of a successful therapeutic outcome.

30. Other Studies Other antifungal work unrelated to Candida
- Invasive aspergillosis
- Cryptococcal meningitis
Bacterial pneumonia

31. Publications
Hope and his research group have published 10 studies in 2011 with 4 relating to Candida infections.

32. Sponsors
His work funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute of Health Research. (UK)
He also has a range of industrial collaborations.

33. Committees/Affiliations
Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
National Institute of Health Research Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases
Member of the steering committee for antifungal agents for the European Committee of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing.

34. Research Group
Collaborators/Staff: Professor David Denning (The University of Manchester), Dr Peter Warn (The University of Manchester), Professor George Drusano (Ordway Research Institute), Professor Roger Jelliffe (University of Southern California), Professor Thomas Harrison (St George's London), Dr John Perfect (Duke, USA), Daniel Benjamin (Duke, USA).

35. Patents
None found.

36. Contact In case you would like to stalk them some more…
P. David Rogers
847 Monroe Ave. Suite 226 Memphis, TN Phone: (901) Fax: (901)
Peter Pappas
University of Alabama at Birmingham
1900 University Boulevard
229 Tinsley Harrison Tower
Birmingham, Alabama
Phone: (205) ; Fax: (205)
David Perlin
Public Health Research Institute Center UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School 225 Warren Street Newark, New Jersey Phone: (973)
William Hope
Telephone: +44 (0)
Fax: +44 (0)
Room 1.800, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT

37. Contact In case you would like to stalk them some more…
P. David Rogers
847 Monroe Ave. Suite 226 Memphis, TN Phone: (901) Fax: (901)
Peter Pappas
University of Alabama at Birmingham
1900 University Boulevard
229 Tinsley Harrison Tower
Birmingham, Alabama
Phone: (205) ; Fax: (205)
David Perlin
Public Health Research Institute Center UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School 225 Warren Street Newark, New Jersey Phone: (973)
William Hope
Telephone: +44 (0)
Fax: +44 (0)
Room 1.800, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT