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Biomedicines
Special Issues
Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery: Current Status and Future Perspectives
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Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery: Current Status and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 99

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan

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Guest Editor
1. Inserm U1086 ANTICIPE (Interdisciplinary Research Unit for Cancer Prevention and Treatment), Normandie University, Université de Caen Normandie, 14076 Caen, France
2. Comprehensive Cancer Center François Baclesse, UNICANCER, 14076 Caen, France
Interests: drug discovery; drug development; drug delivery; computational drug design (CADD); medicinal chemistry; natural products; cancer therapeutics; infectious diseases
Dr. Thet Thet Htar

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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
Interests: medicinal chemistry; organic synthesis; natural products; drug design in antiviral and anticancer agents; molecular dynamics; GPER; estrogen receptors; breast cancer; curcumin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomedicines is excited to announce a new Special Issue, entitled "Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery: Current Status and Future Perspectives".

Guest-edited by Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan and Dr. Thet Thtet Htar, a medicinal chemist and computational drug discovery professional, respectively, this Special Issue aims to explore the groundbreaking advancements fundamentally reshaping the future of medicine. We seek contributions that highlight the synergistic integration of cutting-edge computational and experimental methodologies to accelerate the discovery, optimization, and characterization of novel therapeutic agents. This encompasses innovative approaches in computer-aided drug design (CADD), the transformative power of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) for predicting drug properties, and sophisticated experimental techniques for drug synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation.

A core focus is on how these diverse strategies can be leveraged to effectively overcome critical challenges, particularly addressing resistance mechanisms and the complexities of diseases that impact millions globally. We invite research, as well reviews, on patient-centric therapies for a wide range of conditions, including various cancers, resistant infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, along with cardiovascular diseases. Submissions encompassing both synthetic compounds and promising natural products are highly encouraged.

Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan
Dr. Thet Thet Htar
Guest Editors

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. Biomedicines 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 2600 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

  • drug discovery
  • rational drug design
  • computer-aided drug design (CADD)
  • drug repurposing
  • artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
  • cancer therapeutics
  • infectious diseases
  • natural products

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

19 pages, 718 KB  
Review
Hydrogel-Based Formulations to Deliver Analgesic Drugs: A Scoping Review of Applications and Efficacy
by Sveva Di Franco, Aniello Alfieri, Pasquale Sansone, Vincenzo Pota, Francesco Coppolino, Andrea Frangiosa, Vincenzo Maffei, Maria Caterina Pace, Maria Beatrice Passavanti and Marco Fiore
Biomedicines 2025, 13(10), 2465; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13102465 - 10 Oct 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives:Hydrogels are highly hydrated, biocompatible polymer networks increasingly investigated as drug-delivery systems (DDS) for analgesics. Their ability to modulate local release, prolong drug residence time, and reduce systemic toxicity positions them as promising platforms in perioperative, chronic, and localized pain settings. This [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives:Hydrogels are highly hydrated, biocompatible polymer networks increasingly investigated as drug-delivery systems (DDS) for analgesics. Their ability to modulate local release, prolong drug residence time, and reduce systemic toxicity positions them as promising platforms in perioperative, chronic, and localized pain settings. This scoping review aimed to systematically map clinical applications, efficacy, and safety of hydrogel-based DDS for analgesics, while also documenting non-DDS uses where the matrix itself contributes to pain modulation through physical mechanisms. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidance, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched without publication date restrictions. Only peer-reviewed clinical studies were included; preclinical studies and non-journal literature were excluded. Screening and selection were performed in duplicate. Data extracted included drug class, hydrogel technology, clinical setting, outcomes, and safety. Protocol was registered with Open Science Framework. Results: A total of 26 clinical studies evaluating hydrogel formulations as DDS for analgesics were included. Most were randomized controlled trials, spanning 1996–2024. Local anesthetics were the most frequent drug class, followed by opioids, corticosteroids, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), and neuromodulators. Application sites were predominantly topical/transdermal and perioperative/incisional. Across the DDS cohort, most of the studies reported improved analgesic outcomes, including reduced pain scores and lower rescue medication use; neutral or unclear results were rare. Safety reporting was limited, but tolerability was generally favorable. Additionally, 38 non-DDS studies demonstrated pain reduction through hydrogel-mediated cooling, lubrication, or barrier effects, particularly in burns, ocular surface disorders, and discogenic pain. Conclusions: Hydrogel-based DDS for analgesics show consistent clinical signals of benefit across diverse contexts, aligning with their mechanistic rationale. While current evidence supports their role as effective, well-tolerated platforms, translational gaps remain, particularly for hybrid nanotechnology systems and standardized safety reporting. Non-DDS applications confirm the intrinsic analgesic potential of hydrogel matrices, underscoring their relevance in multimodal pain management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery: Current Status and Future Perspectives)
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