Next-Generation Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms, Engineering, and Clinical Applications
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Peptides".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 80
Special Issue Editor
Interests: peptides; venomics; snake venom; toxins; anti-infective agents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have successfully been applied in diverse contexts ranging from infection control to food preservation. Novel strategies in discovery, high-throughput screening, rational design, and synthetic biology are driving the emergence of next-generation peptides. The diversity of AMP mechanisms and functionality provides a promising platform to explore fundamental biology, develop new clinical solutions, and expand applications into broader fields such as nanotechnology, biomaterials, and agriculture. This Special Issue aims to highlight these advances, offering a venue for high-quality articles and comprehensive reviews that emphasise the course for AMP-based innovations.
We welcome contributions covering, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Mechanisms of action: novel insights into microbial killing, immunomodulation, intracellular action, membranolytic properties, transcriptional regulation, and synergy with other antibacterial agents.
- Discovery and design: natural AMP discovery, computational prediction, structure–function relationships, and rational engineering.
- Synthetic and biotechnological Approaches: chemical synthesis, recombinant expression, and peptide mimetics.
- Delivery strategies and formulations: nanocarriers, hydrogels, and targeted delivery systems.
- Translational research: preclinical and clinical studies of AMPs as novel therapeutics.
- Cross-disciplinary applications: roles of AMPs in materials science, food technology, veterinary medicine, and environmental health.
By bringing together cutting-edge advances in mechanism, engineering, and clinical translation, this Special Issue seeks to celebrate the success of antimicrobial peptide research and its diverse applications.
Dr. José Rafael de Almeida
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- peptide therapeutics
- natural peptide discovery
- computational prediction
- structure–function relationships
- synthetic biology
- chemical synthesis of peptides
- recombinant expression
- peptide mimetics
- cross-disciplinary applications
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