Announcements

All of the articles published in Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X) are open access, meaning you have free and unlimited access to the full text. We invite you to read the most highly cited papers published in 2025 and 2026 in the section “Lipids”, which are listed below:

1. “Hepatic Lipoprotein Metabolism: Current and Future In Vitro Cell-Based Systems”
by Izabella Kiss, Nicole Neuwert, Raimund Oberle, Markus Hengstschläger, Selma Osmanagic-Myers and Herbert Stangl
Biomolecules 2025, 15(7), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15070956
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/7/956

2. “Exploring Sample Storage Conditions for the Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Extracted Lipids from Latent Fingerprints”
by Aleesa E. Chua, Eden P. Go and Heather Desaire
Biomolecules 2025, 15(4), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15040477
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/4/477

3. “Gut Hormones and Inflammatory Bowel Disease”
by Jonathan Weng and Chunmin C. Lo
Biomolecules 2025, 15(7), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15071013
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/7/1013

4. “Obesogenic Inflammatory Memory: A New Concept Related to the Dangerous Effects of Weight Cycling”
by María del Carmen Navarro, María Dolores Hinchado, Elena Bote, Isabel Gálvez, Eduardo Otero, Miguel Palomino-Segura, Leticia Martín-Cordero and Eduardo Ortega
Biomolecules 2026, 16(2), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16020193
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/2/193

5. “Hydroxytyrosyl Eicosapentaenoate as a Potential Antioxidant for Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Improved Synthesis and Comparative Evaluation with Other Natural Antioxidants”
by Natalia García-Acosta, Rosa Cert, Marta Jordán, Luis Goya, Raquel Mateos and Jose Luis Espartero
Biomolecules 2025, 15(5), 714; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15050714
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/5/714

6. “ABCA1: A Therapeutic Target for Improving Cholesterol Homeostasis in Peripheral Neuropathies”
by Yeon Hwa Woo, Natalie E. Schmidt, Jan O. Johansson and Lucia Notterpek
Biomolecules 2026, 16(2), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16020332
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/2/332

7. “Erythrocyte Membrane Fingerprints in the Veterinary Field: The Importance of Membrane Profiling and Its Application in Companion Animals”
by Benedetta Belà, Alessandro Gramenzi, Paraskevi Prasinou and Carla Ferreri
Biomolecules 2025, 15(5), 718; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15050718
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/5/718

All of the articles published in Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X) are open access, meaning you have free and unlimited access to the full text. We invite you to read the most highly cited papers published in 2025 and 2026 in the section “Molecular Biophysics: Structure, Dynamics, and Function”, which are listed below:

1. “Updated Review on Natural Polyphenols: Molecular Mechanisms, Biological Effects, and Clinical Applications for Cancer Management”
by Zainab Sabry Othman Ahmed, Elyas Khan, Nathan Elias, Alhussein Elshebiny and Qingping Dou
Biomolecules 2025, 15(5), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15050629
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/5/629

2. “Implicit Solvent Models and Their Applications in Biophysics”
by Yusuf Bugra Severoglu, Betul Yuksel, Cagatay Sucu, Nese Aral, Vladimir N. Uversky and Orkid Coskuner-Weber
Biomolecules 2025, 15(9), 1218; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15091218
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/9/1218

3. “Targeting the PARylation-Dependent Ubiquitination Signaling Pathway for Cancer Therapies”
by Daoyuan Huang, Jingchao Wang, Li Chen, Weiwei Jiang, Hiroyuki Inuzuka, David K. Simon and Wenyi Wei
Biomolecules 2025, 15(2), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15020237
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/2/237

4. “Distinct Clinical Phenotypes in KIF1A-Associated Neurological Disorders Result from Different Amino Acid Substitutions at the Same Residue in KIF1A”
by Lu Rao, Wenxing Li, Yufeng Shen, Wendy K. Chung and Arne Gennerich
Biomolecules 2025, 15(5), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15050656
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/5/656

5. “Artificial Intelligence: A New Tool for Structure-Based G Protein-Coupled Receptor Drug Discovery”
by Jason Chung, Hyunggu Hahn, Emmanuel Flores-Espinoza and Alex R. B. Thomsen
Biomolecules 2025, 15(3), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15030423
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/3/423

6. “Multiple Mechanisms to Regulate Actin Functions: “Fundamental” Versus Lineage-Specific Mechanisms and Hierarchical Relationships”
by Taro Q. P. Uyeda, Yosuke Yamazaki, Saku T. Kijima, Taro Q. P. Noguchi and Kien Xuan Ngo
Biomolecules 2025, 15(2), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15020279
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/2/279

7. “Chemotaxis and Related Signaling Systems in Vibrio cholerae”
by Fuga Omori, Hirotaka Tajima, Sotaro Asaoka, So-ichiro Nishiyama, Yoshiyuki Sowa and Ikuro Kawagishi
Biomolecules 2025, 15(3), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15030434
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/3/434

8. “Interaction of the Antibiotic Rifampicin with Lipid Membranes”
by Rui M. S. Santos, Jaime Samelo, Alexandre C. Oliveira, Margarida M. Cordeiro, Maria Julia Mora, Gladys E. Granero, Hugo A. L. Filipe, Luís M. S. Loura and Maria João Moreno
Biomolecules 2025, 15(3), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15030320
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/3/320

9. “Quantitative Characterization and Prediction of the Binding Determinants and Immune Escape Hotspots for Groups of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Against Omicron Variants: Atomistic Modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Complexes with Antibodies”
by Mohammed Alshahrani, Vedant Parikh, Brandon Foley, Nishank Raisinghani and Gennady Verkhivker
Biomolecules 2025, 15(2), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15020249
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/2/249

10. “miRNA408 from Camellia japonica L. Mediates Cross-Kingdom Regulation in Human Skin Recovery”
by Soll Jin, Jae-Goo Kim, Hye Jin Kim, Ji Young Kim, Sang Hoon Kim, Hee Cheol Kang and Mi Jung Kim
Biomolecules 2025, 15(8), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081108
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/8/1108

We are pleased to share the following interview with Dr. Iogann Tolbatov, Section Board Member of the “Biomacromolecules: Proteins, Nucleic Acids and Carbohydrates” Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X) Section.

Name: Dr. Iogann Tolbatov
Affiliation: Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: computational bioinorganic chemistry; inorganic medicinal chemistry; protein metalation; metalloproteins; anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral metallodrugs; artificial intelligence in drug discovery; machine learning interatomic potentials; quantum chemistry; molecular dynamics 

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Iogann Tolbatov, who shared his vision for the journal with us:

1. Could you give a brief introduction of yourself and your current research direction to our readers, highlighting any aspects of your work that you feel are particularly relevant to readers of Biomolecules?
I am an Assoc. Prof. of general and inorganic chemistry at the University of Sassari, where I lead a “Digital Laboratory” for computational modeling. My group focuses on designing next-generation metallodrugs and characterizing metalloproteins at the atomic scale. For Biomolecules readers, my work is simple to describe—we identify the electronic and structural factors governing how metal complexes recognize and interact with biological macromolecules, providing insights missing from experimental studies.

2. Your path runs from a PhD at Notre Dame through Bonn, Chieti-Pescara, Burgundy, ICIQ, and Padova before your professorship at Sassari, with your earliest work in theoretical physics. Was there a moment in that journey that significantly shaped your scientific perspective?
Moving across different research cultures in five countries changed how I work. It taught me that scientific progress is not just about the data you gather; it is about how you navigate different approaches to the same problem. My defining moment was not a single event. It was a stretch during my postdoc years when I realized my simulations were explaining experiments my experimentalist colleagues could not interpret. That is when I stopped viewing computation as a support role and started treating it as a primary discovery tool. It is a perspective I have directly brought directly to my work as a reviewer for major funding bodies today.

3. You describe your research environment as a “Digital Laboratory”. Could you explain to our readers what that means, and give an example of a question that computational modeling can answer more effectively than experiments alone?
Think of the “Digital Laboratory” as a virtual lab. We combine quantum chemistry and classical molecular dynamics—and, increasingly, AI—to track chemical reactivity inside complex biomacromolecules. Good examples are mapping ultra-transient transition states or the dynamic pathways of pre-covalent recognition within protein pockets. These are details experiments can rarely track in real time, making computation essential. 

4. Could you tell us how you first came to know about Biomolecules, and what prompted your interest in joining the Editorial Board?
I noticed Biomolecules for its scientific rigor and rapid publication turnaround. I joined the Editorial Board in 2025 to contribute to the journal’s growth. Seeing our shared vision and strict peer-review standards translate into global recognition has been rewarding—our IF has just jumped from 4.8 to 5.6!

5. As an Editorial Board Member, and given your focus on how metals interact with proteins and nucleic acids, how do you see the study of biomacromolecules and metallodrugs evolving, and what gaps in the field are you most excited about seeing future submissions address?
The field is moving away from looking at isolated metal–macromolecule interactions. Instead, we are starting to decode how metallodrugs behave within the complex multi-metal networks revealed by modern metallomics. I want to see future submissions that unite experimental metallomics with atomic-scale simulation, especially those using machine learning to map out competitive metal binding and transport pathways. Biomolecules brings together computation and experimental biochemistry, where other journals often keep them separate. 

6. Computational and bioinformatics submissions have risen rapidly across many journals, and they vary widely in rigor and biological relevance. Drawing on your experience as both a computational scientist and a reviewer, what defines a strong and impactful in silico study, and how important is experimental validation in making computational findings convincing?
A strong in silico study is never a collection of automated software outputs. If I am reviewing a paper and see “black box” results without a physical chemistry foundation, it gets sent back. Collaboration with experimentalists is great, but a computational study should hold its own. It needs to drive new discovery, not just mirror existing data. If you are not explaining an anomaly or showing us something new, then why do you want to publish?

7. Looking back, is there a piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your career, particularly for young scholars hoping to work at the interface of chemistry, biology, and computation?
Never treat computational chemistry software as a “black box”; real mastery requires digging into the underlying mathematics and physics first. Beyond technical skills, the most valuable asset you can develop is communication. Leadership belongs to those who learn to speak the languages of the synthetic chemist, the data scientist, and the structural biologist fluently, connecting them.

Our portfolio of journals available for publishing up-to-date research in immediate open access format has been further expanded. In June 2026, eleven new journals released their inaugural issues and two transferred journals released their first issue as part of MDPI, covering the subjects of environmental & earth sciences, chemistry & materials science, public health & healthcare, engineering, medicine & pharmacology, and biology & life sciences. 

We extend our gratitude to the Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Editorial Board Members who will shape the future course of these new journals. Each journal is dedicated to upholding strong editorial standards through a thorough peer review process, enabling impactful open access scholarship. 

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below. 

We would like to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. If you would like to create a new journal, you are welcome to send an application here or contact the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com).

Peer review is the invisible foundation of academic progress. The 2025 MDPI Top Reviewers are some of the key experts who helped build it.

We are honored to recognize 1000 individuals from our global community of 210,000 reviewers across 67 countries and territories—chosen for their commitment to rigorous, constructive peer review and the consistency of their contributions throughout 2025.

The Top Reviewers provided constructive and impartial feedback that makes research stronger and more impactful, and we are grateful for it.

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

(Note: we respected all privacy preferences, with part of nominees opting for limited attribution.)

We are pleased to share that Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X) was awarded an increased Impact Factor of 5.6 in the 2025 Journal Citation Reports™ released by Clarivate™ in June 2026. Biomolecules ranks in Q1 (72 among 328 titles) in the “Biochemistry & Molecular Biology” category.

The 2025 Journal Impact Factor is calculated by dividing the number of citations received in 2025 to all publications in the journal from 2023 and 2024 by the total number of citable publications from those same years.

To learn more, visit our journal statistics website for detailed metrics or check out our news article for general information.

The support and dedication of all the editors, reviewers, authors, and readers are an integral part of the journal’s performance. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to the journal.

Impact Factors measure how often articles in scientific journals are cited—specifically, the average number of citations received in a given year by articles published in that journal over the previous two years, as tracked in the Web of Science. For researchers, the number answers a practical question: how often is work published in this journal being picked up and built upon?

The metric is assigned to the journal as a whole, not to individual articles. A high Impact Factor tells you something useful about a journal's place in its field; it tells you less about any single paper within it.

For a complementary, article-level view, MDPI lists an Altmetric score on each article page. Where the Impact Factor tracks academic citations, the Altmetric score captures broader online attention: how an article is being shared, discussed, and referenced beyond the journal literature. Together, they offer two different ways of asking the same question: is this research reaching people?

With 2025 CiteScores from Scopus published a few weeks ago, Clarivate has now released this year's Journal Impact Factors in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

254 MDPI Journals Saw a Rise in Impact Factor

This year's JCR include 330 MDPI journals across a wide range of disciplines. Of these, 231 journals are placed in the top 50% (Q1 or Q2) of their respective subject categories, a result that spans fields as different as materials science, public health, environmental studies, and mathematics. 78 journals hold a top-quartile position (Q1), and 33 journals have a JIF of 5.0 or above.

• 330 journals earned a Journal Impact Factor (JIF)
• 29 journals earned a first JIF
• 254 journals had an increase in JIF
• 71% of ranked journals are in Q1 or Q2

For the full metrics on any MDPI journal, visit our Web of Science journals overview page or a journal's individual statistics page.

29 MDPI Journals Received Their First Journal Impact Factor

A first Impact Factor is a confirmation for an emerging journal. It marks the point at which a journal has been publishing long enough, and cited broadly enough, to enter the formal record of scientific influence. For the research communities those journals serve, it signals that the work being published is being read and built upon.

This year, 29 MDPI journals received a Journal Impact Factor for the first time, across a range of emerging and established research areas. Each represents years of editorial development and peer review—recognized in 2026 for the first time in the JCR.

This is also part of a longer shift in how science gets indexed. When the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) launched in 2016, 24 MDPI journals were included. By 2024 that number had grown to over 200, reflecting a broader change in the visibility of open access publishing within major citation tracking systems, not just at MDPI but across the sector.

Open Access with Impact

MDPI journals have received a total of 25.2 million citations in Web of Science. That figure matters less as a measure of MDPI's reach and more as a measure of what happens when research is freely available: it gets found, read, and used. Open access is only meaningful if the work actually travels and citations are one indicator that it does.

More than 4.6 million authors have published with MDPI. That breadth, across disciplines, institutions, and geographies, is what makes open access at this scale worth doing.

Thank You to the MDPI Scholarly Community

These results belong to the people who do the actual work: the Editors-in-Chief who set the standards, the Editorial Board Members and reviewers who hold them, and the authors who choose open access for their research. The numbers in the Journal Citation Reports are the downstream effect of decisions made at the desk, in the review, and at submission. Thank you for making them.

Data: 2025 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports™ (Clarivate, 2026)

We are pleased to share that Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X) has received an increased CiteScore of 9.3 in June 2026. The CiteScore ranks the journal 63 out of 448 titles (Q1) in the “Biochemistry” category, and 77 out of 414 titles (Q1) in the “Molecular Biology” category, an impressive achievement for a journal running in Volume 15.

You can find more statistics on our website.

The current CiteScores measure the average number of citations within a journal over a four-year window (2022–2025). The Scopus database provides a comprehensive suite of metrics that support informed publishing strategies, research evaluation and enable benchmarking of journal performance.

This achievement reflects the collective efforts of our authors, reviewers, and editors. Together we will continue to track the progress of Biomolecules and its growing impact in molecular and cell biology.

Conference: 2026 Human Proteome Organization World Congress
Date: 27 September–1 October 2026
Location: Singapore

From 27 September to 1 October 2026, MDPI will be attending the 2026 Human Proteome Organization World Congress (HUPO 2026) in Singapore as an exhibitor, welcoming researchers from diverse backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas.

This year, HUPO 2026 are embracing the theme “Proteomics Plus: Transforming Lives” and are excited to explore how proteomics is shaping the future of health and medicine in ways we could have only dreamed of a few years ago. Proteomics is no longer just a field of study; it is a catalyst for change. From cutting-edge breakthroughs to real-world solutions, the impact of proteomics is undeniable. At this Congress, we will come together to celebrate how our work is transforming lives—from advancing medical treatments to uncovering new ways to understand health on a global scale. It is an opportunity to see how the science is evolving and, most importantly, how it is making a real difference in people’s lives. 

We look forward to meeting you in Singapore for an unforgettable experience at HUPO 2026!

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• IJMS;
• Proteomes;
• Antioxidants;
• Biology;
• Biomolecules;
• BioTech;
• Cancers;
• JPM.

If you attend this conference, please feel free to visit our booth. 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 official website: https://2026.hupo.org/.