Natural Products and Synthetic Molecules: Development of Novel Anticancer Drugs
A Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) belonging to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 911
Editor
Interests: microRNA; molecular sciences; biomedicines; brain sciences; non-coding RNA
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances and emerging challenges in anticancer drug discovery, bridging natural product research and synthetic chemistry with molecular and translational oncology.
This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and review papers focused on the discovery, characterization, and biological evaluation of anticancer agents derived from natural products, plant extracts, essential oils, synthetic molecules, and nature-inspired compounds. Particular emphasis is placed on studies reporting the identification, isolation, and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds from complex matrices, as well as on the rational design and optimization of synthetic and semi-synthetic molecules.
In addition, this Special Issue seeks to highlight innovative strategies in drug repurposing, aiming to identify new anticancer applications for approved or investigational drugs, supported by robust molecular and pharmacological evidence.
Contributions integrating molecular biology approaches to elucidate mechanisms of action, signaling pathways, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, autophagy, and drug resistance are strongly encouraged. Studies employing in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models, including molecular docking, dynamics simulations, pharmacokinetic predictions, and systems biology approaches, are particularly welcome, provided they are supported by solid experimental validation.
Overall, this Special Issue aims to foster interdisciplinary research and stimulate discussion on current challenges and future perspectives in the development of safer, more effective, and mechanistically well-characterized anticancer drugs.
Suggested topics include the following:
- Discovery of novel anticancer molecules from natural and synthetic sources;
- Chemical characterization of bioactive compounds in plant extracts and essential oils;
- Structure–activity relationship (SAR) and medicinal chemistry approaches;
- Drug repurposing and repositioning strategies for cancer therapy;
- Molecular mechanisms of anticancer activity;
- In vitro and in vivo evaluation of anticancer efficacy and toxicity;
- In silico modeling, molecular docking and pharmacokinetic prediction;
- Resistance mechanisms and combination therapies;
- Translational approaches in anticancer drug development.
Dr. Vinícius D’Ávila Bitencourt Pascoal
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- anticancer drugs
- natural products
- synthetic molecules
- bioactive compounds
- molecular biology
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