Engineering of Anticancer Agents: Identification, Biosynthesis and Chemical Modification
A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemical Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 5
Special Issue Editors
Interests: natural product chemistry; synthetic biology; medicinal chemistry
Interests: natural product biosynthesis; mechanistic enzymology; chemoenzymatic synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural products have long served as a vital source of anticancer agents, with their structural diversity and unique biological activities providing a rich foundation for drug discovery. However, challenges remain in terms of their supply, yield, and structural optimization. In recent years, the rapid development of synthetic biology and organic synthesis has opened new avenues for the efficient production, structural reconstruction, and functional optimization of natural products. At the same time, advances in medicinal chemistry and structural biology have enabled mechanism-based molecular design and precise chemical modification.
In this context, this Special Issue focuses on the engineering of anticancer agents, centered on three key aspects: identification, biosynthesis, and optimization. It covers the discovery and characterization of natural products and their derivatives, the reconstruction and regulation of biosynthetic pathways using synthetic biology approaches, and the structural modification and functional enhancement of bioactive molecules through organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry strategies. Emphasizing interdisciplinary integration, this Special Issue brings together chemical biology, microbial engineering, structural biology, and pharmacology to accelerate the development of anticancer candidates with clinical potential and to advance the translation from molecular discovery to therapeutic application.
Dr. Yong Han
Dr. Zhang Qi
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- anticancer agents
- biosynthesis
- chemical modification
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