Novel Therapeutic Targets in Cancers: 4th Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 742
Special Issue Editor
Interests: NSCLC; SCLC; murine models; tumor microenvironment; cancer stem cells; therapy resistance; therapeutic targeting; BMI1; scRNAseq; spatial transcriptomics; single-cell interactomes; gene regulation; transcription factors; KRAS; EGFR; miRNA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issues “Novel Therapeutic Targets in Cancers” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/Therapeutic_Targets_Cancers ); “Novel Therapeutic Targets in Cancers 2.0” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/VJC6KR93C0); and “Novel Therapeutic Targets in Cancers: 3rd Edition” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/TF6N2JWG6Y).
In recent decades, novel precision oncology protocols have been developed and are now beginning to be adopted in routine clinical practice. However, despite major advances, the goal of transforming solid tumors into a chronic disease remains unfulfilled, and long-term remission has yet to be achieved.
Starting from preclinical models (cell lines, organoids, and murine models), we can identify oncogenic pathways, mechanisms of resistance, and novel avenues to inhibit tumor growth and metastatic spread that will eventually enter clinical trials. Novel technologies—such as those capable of pinpointing the contribution of tumor heterogeneity to transformation and dissemination, as well as tumor evolution during drug response and recurrence—are poised to revolutionize cancer treatment by expanding the therapeutic arsenal at our disposal. State-of-the-art precision medicine protocols require the convergence of multiple interdisciplinary contributions, including the identification of single-cell-specific genetic and epigenetic alterations, the discovery of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, the implementation of efficient and specific diagnostic tools, the design of genomic editing protocols, and the planning of well-designed therapeutic strategies that consider the best sequential options to delay/prevent the development of recurrence.
This Special Issue welcomes original research papers as well as concise review manuscripts from experts in these relevant fields. The Issue is supervised by Dr. Elena Levantini, assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Giorgia Maroni.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Solid tumor heterogeneity;
- Targeted therapy, including target identification and validation;
- Immune modulation;
- RNA-based therapy;
- Epigenetic therapy;
- Combination therapy, considering also sequential treatments and drug holidays;
- Cancer stem cell targeting;
- Recurrence mechanisms;
- Tumor evolution as defined by high-resolution transcriptomics;
- Preclinical modeling of the heterogeneous tumor milieux.
Please note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analyses of public genomic or transcriptomic databases, without accompanying validation (either in an independent cohort or through biological validation in vitro or in vivo), are outside of the scope for this Special Issue.
Dr. Elena Levantini
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- targeted therapy
- precision oncology
- immune modulation
- cancer stem cell targeting
- RNA-based therapy
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.
