Antisense Oligonucleotides: Versatile Tools with Broad Applications
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 682
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO or AO) is a versatile tool that has been widely used as a research tool in the discovery and validation of disease-related genes as well as a therapeutic entity targeting the genes. ASOs are characterized by diversified mechanisms of actions, including occupancy-mediated degradation (RNase H-dependent RNA degradation) and occupancy-only mechanisms such as splice switching and steric blocking. Due to the diversity of mechanisms of actions, ASOs are capable of either reducing the expression of a target gene, or restoring the expression of a defective gene, leading to a broad application of ASO technology. In fact, more than ten ASO drugs have been approved by the US FDA for the therapy of several human diseases. Among these commercialized ASOs, both the RNase H-dependent mechanism and splice modulation (exon skipping and exon inclusion) have been applied. In addition to modulating gene expression in mammalian cells, ASOs have also been studied as antibacterial agents. Due to its universality, ASOs could also be developed as pesticides, fungicides, and nematicides that contribute to plant protection.
This Special Issue is initiated to promote the advancements of the ASO field in all aspects of therapeutic or pesticide developments and chemical optimization, and it provides an opportunity to share your quality work in the form of authentic research and review articles.
Dr. Suxiang Chen
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
- antisense oligonucleotide
- RNase H
- splice switching
- exon skipping
- therapeutics
- pesticide
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
