Announcements

Conference: 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery
Date: 14–17 May 2026, Beijing Time
Conference website: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026

This conference is organized by the MDPI journal Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049, IF: 4.2, and CiteScore: 7.4) and will take place in Beijing, China, from 14 to 17 May 2026 (Beijing time).

Conference Chairs:

• Prof. Dr. Xiaoguang Lei, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, China;
• Prof. Dr. Diego Muñoz-Torrero, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Spain.

Topics of interest:
S1. Chemical biology for drug discovery;
S2. AI for drug discovery;
S3. New proximity-based drug modalities;
S4. Natural products in drug discovery;
S5. Biocatalysis for natural product and drug synthesis;
S6. Drug discovery targeting GPCRs and ion channels;
S7. DNA-encoded libraries in drug discovery;
S8. Medicinal chemistry tales.

Important dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 16 January 2026;
Abstract acceptance notification: 9 February 2026;
Early bird registration deadline: 11 February 2026;
Covering author registration deadline: 11 February 2026;
Registration deadline: 14 May 2026.

Guide for authors:

To submit your abstract, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1319.

To register for the event, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026?section=#registration.

For more information, you may refer to the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026.

For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact mmcs2026@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery.

MDPI is delighted to announce the establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award. Named in honor of Professor Michele Parrinello, the award celebrates his exceptional contributions and his profound impact on the field of computational physical science research.

The award will be presented biennially to distinguished scientists who have made outstanding achievements and contributions in the field of computational physical science—spanning physics, chemistry, and materials science.

About Professor Michele Parrinello

"Do not be afraid of new things. I see it many times when we discuss a new thing that young people are scared to go against the mainstream a little bit, thinking what is going to happen to me and so on. Be confident that what you do is meaningful, and do not be afraid, do not listen too much to what other people have to say.”

——Professor Michele Parrinello

Born in Messina in 1945, he received his degree from the University of Bologna and is currently affiliated with the Italian Institute of Technology. Professor Parrinello is known for his many technical innovations in the field of atomistic simulations and for a wealth of interdisciplinary applications ranging from materials science to chemistry and biology. Together with Roberto Car, he introduced ab initio molecular dynamics, also known as the Car–Parrinello method, marking the beginning of a new era both in the area of electronic structure calculations and in molecular dynamics simulations. He is also known for the Parrinello–Rahman method, which allows crystalline phase transitions to be studied by molecular dynamics. More recently, he has introduced metadynamics for the study of rare events and the calculation of free energies.

For his work, he has been awarded many prizes and honorary degrees. He is a member of numerous academies and learned societies, including the German Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, the British Royal Society, and the Italian Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, which is the major academy in his home country of Italy.

Award Committee

The award committee will be chaired by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, a computational condensed matter physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and professor at the Department of Physics, Fudan University. Professor Xin-Gao Gong will lead a panel of several senior experts in the field to oversee the evaluation and selection process. The Institute for Computational Physical Sciences at Fudan University (Shanghai, China), led by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, will serve as the supporting institute for the award.

"We hope the Michele Parrinello Award will recognize scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of computational condensed matter physics and at the same time set a benchmark for the younger generation, providing clear direction for their pursuit—this is precisely the original intention behind establishing the award."

——Professor Xin-Gao Gong

The first edition of the award was officially launched on 1 November 2025. Nominations will be accepted before the end of March 2026. For further details, please visit mparrinelloaward.org.

About the MDPI Sustainability Foundation and MDPI Awards

The Michele Parrinello Award is part of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing sustainable development through scientific progress and global collaboration. The foundation also oversees the World Sustainability Award, the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award, and the Tu Youyou Award. The establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award will further enrich the existing award portfolio, providing continued and diversified financial support to outstanding professionals across various fields. 

In addition to these foundation-level awards, MDPI journals also recognize outstanding contributions through a range of honors, including Best Paper Awards, Outstanding Reviewer Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Travel Awards, Best PhD Thesis Awards, Editor of Distinction Awards, and others. These initiatives aim to recognize excellence across disciplines and career stages, contributing to the long-term vitality and sustainability of scientific research.

Find more information on awards here.

We are honored to recognize the 2024 MDPI Top 1000 Reviewers—scholars whose exemplary commitment to rigorous and constructive peer review is vital in upholding the highest standards of academic publishing.

Selected from a distinguished pool of 215,000 reviewers from 65 countries and regions worldwide, these honorees stand out for their exceptional expertise, diligence, and dedication to advancing research through timely and thoughtful reviews. Their constructive and impartial feedback ensures the publication of high-quality, impactful research, while their timely reviews facilitate swift revisions and faster publication of innovative work.

Peer review is the invisible foundation of academic progress. With gratitude and respect, we celebrate these 1000 scholars who made that foundation stronger in 2024. We respected all privacy preferences, with part of nominees opting for limited attribution.

The names of these reviewers are listed below in alphabetical order by first name:

MDPI will be attending the ESCMID Global 2026, which will be held from 17 to 21 April 2026, in Munich, Germany.

ESCMID Global 2026 stands as the largest international conference in the fields of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, dedicated to connecting scientists, doctors, veterinarians and other healthcare professionals worldwide. Centered on combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), this annual congress serves as a pivotal platform for driving innovation and collaboration in the sector.

The conference covers a wide spectrum of key areas, including scientific research, infection management, and innovations in therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines. Attendees will have the opportunity to access the latest scientific breakthroughs, transformative treatments and rapid diagnostic technologies, making it an essential event for those looking to connect, learn and lead the future of infectious disease control.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Antibiotics;
• JCM;
• Microorganisms;
• COVID;
• Hygiene;
• JMP;
• Clinics and Practice;
• Diseases;
• Immuno;
• Medical Sciences;
• Vaccines.

If you plan on attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth at #G46 and have a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.escmid.org/congress-events/escmid-global/munich-2026/.

We are pleased to announce updates to our article template, aimed at improving the readability and visual appeal of our publications. The following updates will be applied to articles published in volumes in 2026, starting from 19 December 2025.

Left information bar:

• Updated the logo and URL for “Check for updates”;
• Removed the “Citation” section (Note: Citation details remain accessible via “Cite” in the online article version);
• Changed the link in “Copyright” to a hyperlink format.

Footer:

• Added a DOI link at the bottom-right corner of each page.

The updated template is now available for download from the Instructions for Authors page of each journal.

We hope that the new version of the template will provide users with better experience and make the process more convenient.

For any questions or suggestions, please contact our production team at production@mdpi.com.

A message from the Webinar Chair:

Dear colleagues,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this webinar, part of a series of online presentations, entitled “Structural Aspects of AMPs and Antimicrobials Ⅲ”.

Antimicrobial peptides or AMPs are natural and/or synthetic peptides with inhibitory activities against micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

AMPs are very diverse in terms of sequence, mechanism of synthesis/maturation, and structures. The goal of this series of webinars on structural aspects of AMPs and antimicrobials is to present recent and important findings regarding the discovery and characterization of AMPs.

For today’s webinar, I am happy and honored to welcome Dr. Yanyan Li and Prof. Octavio Franco. Dr Li is a principal investigator and group leader in the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). She obtained her PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge, UK, and received postdoctoral training at the Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles (ICSN), France, and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Germany. Her main research interest is focused on the discovery, biosynthesis, and mechanism of action studies of bacterial antimicrobial peptides. Her presentation today will be about the “Mode of action of antibacterial ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs)”. Prof. Franco is a professor and coordinator of the Biotechnology Program at Universidade Católica Dom Bosco. He holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Brasília and completed postdoctoral training at Embrapa and the University of Edinburgh. A CNPq Level 1A Researcher, he has published over 550 scientific papers in leading journals and holds nearly 40 patents, including the anti-aging product OS-1. He co-founded Peptidus, Lumis, and SO Biotech, focusing on biotechnology and health. He has supervised over 120 graduate students and is actively involved in science communication through lectures, media, and social media platforms. His presentation today will be about the “Generation of novel antibiotics from natural products by using digital platforms”.

I hope you will be able to join and enjoy the webinar.

Regards,

Dr. Marc Maresca

Date: 15 December 2025 at 2:00 pm CET | 8:00 am EST
Webinar ID: 812 1768 8919
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/Antibiotics-10?subscribe

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Marc Maresca, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Med, France;
• Prof. Dr. Octávio Luiz Franco, ¹ Center for Proteomics and Biochemical Analysis, Postgraduate Program in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology, Catholic University of Brasília, Brazil;² Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology, S-Inova Biotech, Dom Bosco Catholic University, Brazil;
• Dr. Yanyan Li, Laboratory Molecules of Communication and Adaptation of Microorganisms (MCAM), French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), France.

Relevant Topical Collection:
“Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Structural Aspects of AMPs and Antimicrobials”
Collection Editors: J. Michael Conlon, Marc Maresca, Bong-Jin Lee and Aurélie Tasiemski

In support of World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week 2025, MDPI is delighted to invite you to our special webinar, “MDPI World AMR Awareness Week Webinar 2025”. This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”, serves as a powerful call to immediate action against one of the most pressing global health threats—antimicrobial resistance.

Through this webinar, we aim to highlight the latest research, innovations, and cross-sector collaborations addressing AMR. We hope these discussions will inspire collective action to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials, strengthen prevention and surveillance systems, and accelerate global efforts to safeguard human, animal, and environmental health.

Thank you for joining us as we raise awareness, exchange insights, and reaffirm our shared commitment to a healthier, more resilient future.

keywords: antimicrobial resistance; antifungal resistance; food chain contamination; biofilm infections; nanomedicine; microbial genetics; mycology; public health

Date: 21 November 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. CET | 4:00 p.m. CST (Asia)
Webinar ID: 883 6849 1341
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available for viewing.

Webinar Speakers:

• Dr. José Cobo-Díaz, Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, University of Leon, Spain;
• Dr. Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, National Microbiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Spain;
• Dr.  Anam Ahsan, Clinical & Health Sciences / Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, University of South Australia, Australia;
• Prof. Dr. Michaela Lackner, Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology (HMM), Austria;
• Dr.  Elena Perrin, Department of Biology, University of Florence, Italy.

World AMR Awareness Day 2025 draws attention to the urgent global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—one of the greatest threats to public health, food security, and sustainable development. This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”, calls on the international community to take immediate, coordinated, and sustained action to preserve the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobials. AMR affects every region of the world and every aspect of modern medicine, from surgery and cancer therapy to animal health and agriculture. Without effective antibiotics, common infections and minor injuries could once again become deadly.

To address this growing crisis, selected MDPI journals provide leading platforms for advancing research on antimicrobial resistance, surveillance, stewardship, and innovative therapeutic strategies. These include studies on new antibiotics, resistance mechanisms, diagnostic tools, infection control, and global policy frameworks. Through curated articles, Special Issues, and reprints, these journals foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to combat AMR through innovation, education, and evidence-based practice.

World AMR Awareness Day serves as a powerful reminder that tackling antimicrobial resistance requires shared responsibility, sustained investment in research and innovation, and collective global action to secure a healthier, more resilient future for all.

“Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral Activity, and Mechanisms of Action of Plant Polyphenols”
by Slavena Davidova, Angel S. Galabov and Galina Satchanska
Microorganisms 2024, 12(12), 2502; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12122502 

”An Overview of the Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Resistance”
by Manuela Oliveira, Wilson Antunes, Salete Mota, Áurea Madureira-Carvalho, Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira and Diana Dias da Silva
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1920; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091920

“A Mini-Review of In Vitro Data for Candida Species, Including C. auris, Isolated during Clinical Trials of Three New Antifungals: Fosmanogepix, Ibrexafungerp, and Rezafunesgin”
by Ana Espinel-Ingroff and Nathan P. Wiederhold
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050362

“ESKAPE: Navigating the Global Battlefield for Antimicrobial Resistance and Defense in Hospitals”
by Kamna Ravi and Baljit Singh
Bacteria 2024, 3(2), 76-98; https://doi.org/10.3390/bacteria3020006

Special Issues:

“A Six-Step Protocol for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends Using WHONET and R: Real-World Application and R Code Integration”
by Fabio Ingravalle, Antonio Vinci, Marco Ciotti, Carla Fontana, Francesca Pica, Emanuele Sebastiani, Clara Donnoli, Martino Guido Rizzo, Dario Tedesco, Silvia D’Arezzo et al.
Methods Protoc. 2025, 8(5), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/mps8050115 

“Improved Prognostic Accuracy of NEWS2 Score with Triage Data in Adults with Bacterial Sepsis: A Retrospective Cohort Study”
by Pietro Pozzessere, Roberto Lovero, Corrado Crocetta, Najada Firza, Vincenzo Brescia, Angela Pia Cazzolla, Mario Dioguardi, Francesco Testa, Marica Colella and Luigi Santacroce
Int. J. Transl. Med. 2025, 5(4), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijtm5040044

“Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Typhoid Fever in Ghana: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
by Frederick Kungu, Aaron Awere-Duodu and Eric S. Donkor
Diseases 2025, 13(4), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040113

“Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Biofilm Analysis via Sonication in Intensive Care Unit Patients at a County Emergency Hospital in Romania”
by Ioana Roxana Codru, Bogdan Ioan Vintilă, Alina Simona Bereanu, Mihai Sava, Livia Mirela Popa and Victoria Birlutiu
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(2), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18020161 

Special Issues:

“Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Potentials of Silver Tungstate Nanoparticles, Cytotoxicity and Interference on the Activity of Antimicrobial Drugs”
by Washington de Souza Leal, Juliane Zacour Marinho, Isabela Penna Ceravolo, Lucas Leão Nascimento, Antonio Otávio de Toledo Patrocínio and Marcus Vinícius Dias-Souza
Drugs Drug Candidates 2025, 4(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/ddc4030030

“Release Profile and Antibacterial Activity of Thymus sibthorpii Essential Oil-Incorporated, Optimally Stabilized Type I Collagen Hydrogels”
by Caglar Ersanli, Ioannis Skoufos, Konstantina Fotou, Athina Tzora, Yves Bayon, Despoina Mari, Eleftheria Sarafi, Konstantina Nikolaou and Dimitrios I. Zeugolis
Bioengineering 2025, 12(1), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12010089

“Antimicrobial Peptides from Frogs of the Glandirana Genus”
by Frederick Harris, David A. Phoenix and Sarah R. Dennison
Biologics 2024, 4(4), 444-507; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics4040027

“Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Effect of Myrciaria cauliflora Hydroethanolic Extract against Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii”
by Luciane Dias de Oliveira, Ana Luisa Monteiro Ribeiro, Sthéfani de Oliveira Dias, Geovani Moreira da Cruz, Raquel Teles de Menezes, Lara Steffany de Carvalho, Mariana Gadelho Gimenez Diamantino, Thaís Cristine Pereira, Maria Cristina Marcucci and Amjad Abu Hasna
Methods Protoc. 2024, 7(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/mps7040060

“LL-37: Structures, Antimicrobial Activity, and Influence on Amyloid-Related Diseases”
by Surajit Bhattacharjya, Zhizhuo Zhang and Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
Biomolecules 2024, 14(3), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030320

Special Issues:

“Antimicrobial Resistance Gene Patterns in Traditional Montenegrin Njeguški Cheese Revealed by qPCR”
by Vesna Milanović, Giorgia Rampanti, Andrea Cantarini, Federica Cardinali, Giuseppe Paderni, Aleksandra Martinovic, Andrea Brenciani, Lucia Aquilanti, Andrea Osimani and Cristiana Garofalo
Genes 2025, 16(9), 1089; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16091089

“Immunotherapy Potential of Animal-Sourced Probiotic Bacteria”
by Isaac Oluseun Adejumo
Biologics 2025, 5(3), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics5030017

“Screening and Genomic Profiling of Antimicrobial Bacteria Sourced from Poultry Slaughterhouse Effluents: Bacteriocin Production and Safety Evaluation”
by Nuria Peña, Irene Lafuente, Ester Sevillano, Javier Feito, Diogo Contente, Estefanía Muñoz-Atienza, Luis M. Cintas, Pablo E. Hernández and Juan Borrero
Genes 2024, 15(12), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15121564 

“The Impact of Antibiotics and Steroids on the Nasal Microbiome in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Systematic Review According to PICO Criteria”
by Antonella Loperfido, Carlo Cavaliere, Elona Begvarfaj, Andrea Ciofalo, Giovanni D’Erme, Marco De Vincentiis, Antonio Greco, Stefano Millarelli, Gianluca Bellocchi and Simonetta Masieri
J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(11), 1583; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13111583

Special Issues:

Med. Sci. Forum, 2025, ECA 2025 The 4th International Electronic Conference on Antibiotics Organiser: MDPI and Antibiotics Volume Editors: Manuel Simões and Marc Maresca Highlights Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Based Detection of Amoxicillin and Ampicillin for Advancing Antibiotic Monitoring with Optical Techniques by Vinicius Pereira Anjos et al. Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates Belonging to High-Risk Clones Obtained from Fresh Pork Meat in La Plata City, Argentina by Hernán D. Nievas et al. Click here to read the full list of papers.

MDPI would like to invite all Guest Editors, as esteemed experts in their respective disciplines, to participate in the 8th MDPI Guest Editor Club. This forum intends to highlight exciting topics in a comprehensive but efficient manner to allow Guest Editors to present their experience and discuss their achievements.

The Guest Editor Club will bring together a group of multi-disciplinary Guest Editors from all over the world to present and exchange ideas reported in Special Issues. We have, therefore, put together this platform to aid in your interactions with the journal, leading you through the most important aspects of the role and providing information on what you can expect from the process of editing a Special Issue. We are pleased to provide an exciting opportunity for all our Guest Editors to propose and develop new approaches, exchange perspectives, and encourage new lines of research, with a focus in publishing under the Medicine & Pharmacology subject.

Date: 20 November 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. CET | 1:00 p.m. EST
Webinar ID: 832 6951 1670
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/MGEC2025-8-med-pharma  

 Register now for free!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email outlining how to join this webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Invited Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Grzegorz Węgrzyn, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland;
• Prof. Dr. Consolato M. Sergi, University of Alberta (AB) and University of Ottawa (ON), Canada; Children’s Hospital Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada.

Relevant Special Issues:

“Bacteriophages and Phage-Derived Enzymes as Antibacterial Agents”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Grzegorz Wegrzyn
Deadline for submission: 30 November 2025

“Soft Tissue Sarcoma: From Diagnosis to Prognosis”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Consolato M. Sergi
Deadline for submission: 31 January 2026

“Utilization of Liquid Biopsy in Cancer Diagnosis and Management 2025”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Consolato M. Sergi
Deadline for submission: 31 March 2026

Conference: Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2025 (Microbiotec’25)
Organization: the Portuguese Society of Microbiology and the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology
Date: 4–6 December 2025
Place: Ponta Delgada, Portugal

The Microbiotec congress has been happening biannually since 2005, co-organized by the Portuguese Society of Microbiology and the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology. This biannual congress aims to create a platform for discussion and collaboration between national and international researchers and stakeholders in the diverse areas of Microbiology and Biotechnology, welcoming young researchers who are making their first steps into the scientific community.

Microbiotec’25 will be hosted at the University of Azores, from 4 to 6 December 2025. This conference aims to promote knowledge and discussion among researchers as well as between academia and the industry. It is an opportunity to share and debate scientific ideas and research, focusing on the innovations and challenges of microbiology and biotechnology research.

MDPI will be attending Microbiotec’25. We welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• MPs;
• Hygiene;
• Applied Microbiology;
• BioTech;
• Microorganisms;
• Applied Biosciences;
• Bacteria;
• Proteomes;
• Ruminants;
• BioChem;
• JPBI;
• Marine Drugs;
• Antibiotics.