Cancer Stem Cells: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targeting

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, “Cancer Stem Cells: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targeting”. This Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the molecular and cellular biology of cancer stem cells (CSCs) as well as their clinical relevance in cancer progression and treatment response.

Cancer stem cells play a central role in tumor heterogeneity, metastasis, therapy resistance, and disease recurrence. Their dynamic regulation involves complex signaling networks, epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, and interactions with the tumor microenvironment. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms is essential for translating basic discoveries into effective clinical strategies.

We welcome original research articles and reviews addressing molecular pathways, cellular plasticity, CSC-associated biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches targeting CSCs across different cancer types. We hope that this Special Issue will foster integrative insights bridging fundamental biology and clinical oncology.

We look forward to your valuable contributions. 

Dr. Pablo Pérez-Moreno
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.