Metal-Involving Agents: Recent Routes at the Interface between Inorganic Chemistry and Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Metal-involving agents have gained interest for their unconventional properties compared to organic molecules. With the possibility of choosing from tens of metal ions in different oxidation states and a plethora of ligand systems when using these agents, inorganic chemists can explore multiple combinations to come up with new molecules for extensive medical applications. Interestingly, a growing group of catalysis scientists are pushing forward drug discovery by finding metallorganic complexes with promising pharmacological properties.

Among various medical challenges, cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide, with over ten million cases per year. Some metal-involving agents reported in the literature show potent anti-cancer activity, including systems able to affect cancer stem cells. This bodes well for the development of new agents that can overcome cancer drug resistance or diagnose cancer earlier.

This Special Issue focuses on the most recent developments in the field of metal-based compounds and organic molecules (e.g., ionophores) for cancer therapy and diagnostics. The guest editors welcome the submission of original research articles, short communications, and reviews that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Novel therapeutic inorganic strategies;
• Design and synthesis of new inorganic compounds;
• Studies on coordination/organometallic compounds bearing biological properties;
• Repurposing of metal-based compounds;
• Catalysts breaking into biomedicine;
• Biological evaluation of novel metal compounds;
• Chemical and biological evaluation of ionophores and pro-ionophores;
• Mechanism of action of metal-based agents (e.g., molecular targets/pathways/organelles);
• Targeted drug delivery by molecular, supramolecular, or nano-architectures.

Dr. Oliveri Valentina
Dr. Chiara Nardon
Guest Editors

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