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25th Anniversary of IJMS: Updates and Advances in Molecular Nanoscience

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Nanoscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 261

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou 215125, China
Interests: nanomaterial-mediated stem cell for the repair of tissue injury; nanomaterial-mediated multi-modal imaging and chemo-radiotherapy

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: nanoparticles with electrochemical and biomedical applications; tattoo inks: determination of the composition and removal; surface science: molecules on semiconductors for detection purposes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. BRIDGES-Biotechnology Research, Innovation and Design of Health Products, Polytechnic of Guarda, 6300-559 Guarda, Portugal
2. RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: biomaterials; tissue engineering; drug delivery; photothermal therapy; controlled drug release; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The collection of papers presented in this 25th anniversary Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences features some of the most interesting developments in the field of Molecular Nanoscience. Over the last few decades, significant progress has been made in functional nanomaterials and the biology or life science application of nanomaterials. It is meaningful to investigate how the functional structure of materials influence biological performance in vitro and in vivo and how clinical requirements drive the design of new nanomaterials. Although many nanomaterials have been designed and synthesized over the years, with numerous reviews and articles exploring these topics, there is still a lack of in-depth investigation and a dedicated Special Issue on the biological effects of nanomaterials, particularly in fields of regenerative medicine, cellular therapy, radiology, and targeted therapy. This Special Issue also focuses on the development of specific approaches to study the biological application of 2D materials (i.e. graphene and nanosheets), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and the biological effects of smart nanomaterials, theranostic nanomaterials, nanocatalysts and nanozymes, and the computational biology of nanosystems.

We cordially invite scientists to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to foster cutting-edge advancements in Molecular Nanoscience. As part of this Special Issue, we welcome submissions from researchers in the form of original research papers, communications, and review articles on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Functional nanomaterials

Design and synthesis or fabrication of functional nanomaterials and their applications in regenerative medicine, cellular therapy, radiology, and targeted therapy

  • Nanostructure of materials

Two-dimensional materials (i.e. graphene and nanosheets), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)

  • Bioimaging and responsiveness of nanomaterials

Smart nanomaterials (i.e., pH/ROS/immune response materials) and theranostic nanomaterials

  • Computational biology of nanosystems

Understanding the functions and behaviors of signal pathways, ion channels, and protein interactions from the perspective of computational biology and nanotechnology

Dr. Qi Zhang
Dr. Marilena Carbone
Dr. André F. Moreira
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. 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

  • nanotechnology
  • nanomaterials
  • nanomedicine
  • nanostructures
  • 2D materials
  • smart nanomaterials
  • nanocatalysts
  • nanozymes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 6805 KiB  
Article
Ferritin Nanocages Exhibit Unique Structural Dynamics When Displaying Surface Protein
by Monikaben Padariya, Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska and Umesh Kalathiya
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7047; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157047 - 22 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Ferritin nanocages with spherical shells carry proteins or antigens that enable their use as highly efficient nanoreactors and nanocarriers. Mimicking the surface Spike (S) receptor-binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV-2, ferritin nanocages induce neutralizing antibody production or block viral entry. Herein, by implementing molecular [...] Read more.
Ferritin nanocages with spherical shells carry proteins or antigens that enable their use as highly efficient nanoreactors and nanocarriers. Mimicking the surface Spike (S) receptor-binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV-2, ferritin nanocages induce neutralizing antibody production or block viral entry. Herein, by implementing molecular dynamics simulation, we evaluate the efficiency in the interaction pattern (active or alternative sites) of H-ferritin displaying the 24 S RBDs with host-cell-receptor or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs; B38 or VVH-72). Our constructed nanocage targeted the receptor- or antibody-binding interfaces, suggesting that mAbs demonstrate an enhanced binding affinity with the RBD, with key interactions originating from its variable heavy chain. The S RBD interactions with ACE2 and B38 involved the same binding site but led to divergent dynamic responses. In particular, both B38 chains showed that asymmetric fluctuations had a major effect on their engagement with the Spike RBD. Although the receptor increased the binding affinity of VVH-72 for the RBD, the mAb structural orientation on the nanocage remained identical to its conformation when bound to the host receptor. Overall, our findings characterize the essential pharmacophore formed by Spike RBD residues over nanocage molecules, which mediates high-affinity interactions with either binding partner. Importantly, the ferritin-displayed RBD maintained native receptor and antibody binding profiles, positioning it as a promising scaffold for pre-fusion stabilization and protective RBD vaccine design. Full article
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