Innovative Approaches in Drug Design: The Pathway from Molecular Mechanisms to New Therapeutic Interventions

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 1780

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Dear Colleagues,

The field of drug design is undergoing a transformative phase characterized by the exploration of pioneering strategies that transcend traditional paradigms. At the heart of these innovative actions lies a deep understanding of the molecular foundations of diseases, coupled with the development of sophisticated tools and technologies which, informed by structural biology, computational chemistry, pharmacology, and bioinformatics, are aimed at manipulating these complex biological pathways. The elucidation of three-dimensional structures of relevant biomolecules at atomic resolution enables the precise targeting of specific molecular targets implicated in disease progression. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) modeling, and machine learning algorithms facilitate the virtual screening of compound libraries, prediction of drug–target interactions, and optimization of lead compounds, accelerating the identification of promising drug candidates as well as enabling the prediction of their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties with remarkable precision.

Moreover, innovative approaches in drug design extend beyond conventional small-molecule therapeutics to incorporate biologics, nucleic acid-based therapies, gene editing technologies, and cell-based therapies. The emergence of precision medicine and personalized therapeutics further amplifies the potential of these innovative interventions to tailor treatments to individual patients based on their unique genetic profile, disease features, and clinical parameters.

Furthermore, interdisciplinary collaborations and translational research initiatives bridge the gap between basic science discoveries and clinical applications, facilitating the translation of innovative drug design strategies into tangible therapeutic interventions. From targeted cancer therapies and immunomodulatory agents to gene therapies and regenerative medicine approaches, these innovative interventions hold promise for addressing unmet medical needs and revolutionizing patient care across diverse therapeutic areas.

In this Special Issue, we welcome articles dealing with all aspects of drug design research, from basic to clinical studies, and invite scientists and drug specialists to publish their original research works, review articles, and communications on this wide health domain.

Dr. Cristina Manuela Drăgoi
Dr. Alina Crenguța Nicolae
Dr. Ion-Bogdan Dumitrescu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • drug design
  • drug development
  • therapeutic strategies
  • preclinical and clinical drug research
  • disease prognosis and response to therapy
  • drug target discovery
  • individualized therapy
  • pharmacogenomics
  • novel therapeutics
  • medicinal chemistry
  • biologics
  • personalized medicine
  • precision medicine

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1033 KiB  
Article
Alarming Signal from the Ear: Tinnitus, a Possible Epiphenomenon of Silent Hyperlipidaemia
by Zsuzsanna Piros, Kristóf Kispál, Réka Szekeres, Barbara Takács, Rita Kiss, Adrienn Mónika Szabó, Dóra Ujvárosy, Zoltán Szabó, Zoltán Szilvássy, Rudolf Gesztelyi and Béla Juhász
Biomedicines 2024, 12(12), 2837; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12122837 - 13 Dec 2024
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Over the past few decades, many studies have been conducted to explore the link between tinnitus and lipid metabolism, yielding inconsistent results. In our current study, we compared the prevalence of various lipid metabolism abnormalities in patients with chronic subjective idiopathic tinnitus [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Over the past few decades, many studies have been conducted to explore the link between tinnitus and lipid metabolism, yielding inconsistent results. In our current study, we compared the prevalence of various lipid metabolism abnormalities in patients with chronic subjective idiopathic tinnitus (CSIT) to the official prevalence data of dyslipidaemia in the general adult Hungarian population. To counteract the distorting effect of the co-increase in both conditions with age, we also examined this relationship by age groups. Methods: A total of 231 adult patients, suffering from CSIT, who underwent rheological treatment at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the Clinical Center (University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary), were involved in a retrospective study. Total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, LDL-C, ApoB, HDL-C, ApoA, and Lp(a) were utilized. Results: For the aggregated data, we found that the occurrence of dyslipidaemia among our patients (78.35%) significantly exceeded the corresponding official data about the occurrence of dyslipidaemia in the whole adult Hungarian population (16.51%). This finding was supported by our age-specific approach and the results imply an association between CSIT and dyslipidaemia. This finding suggests an association between CSIT and dyslipidaemia. Conclusions: Considering the relationship between CSIT and dyslipidaemia suggested by our results, tinnitus could be an indicator of dyslipidaemia, even at a young age. Therefore, careful investigation of each tinnitus patient, along with a lipidological evaluation for those with CSIT, may be recommended. This approach could lower mortality from lipid-related diseases, particularly atherosclerosis and its complications, by serving as the first line of defence against a harmful and life-threatening lipid-related conditions. Full article
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