Anticancer Drugs: Current Status and Future Directions
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 61
Special Issue Editor
Interests: anticancer compounds; natural products chemistry; natural and synthetic anticancer compounds combinations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Progress has undoubtedly been made in our understanding of the basis of cancer, leading to the development of new anticancer drugs. However, recent statistics report nearly 20 million cancer cases worldwide, with a mortality rate of almost 50%. These figures highlight the need to develop new anticancer agents with innovative pharmacological targets and a favorable selective index.
Although it may be challenging, new approaches should be explored alongside traditional methods, such as the synthesis of potential new antitumor compounds or their extraction from natural sources. For example, the discovery of imatinib has marked a breakthrough in targeted therapy, initiating an era of drugs that are much more selective than older cytotoxic agents and lead to fewer side effects.
Combining different antitumor medications could represent a promising strategy. While we have long-term clinical trial data for such combinations, a new approach could involve merging cytotoxic extracts from natural sources with conventional drugs. Considering that hybrids have proven effective in administering and combining multiple drugs, hybrids of two or more anticancer agents could represent a valuable area of exploration.
Nanoparticles synthesized with drugs have shown improved solubility and activity compared to original compounds; therefore, investigating the synthesis and evaluation of nanoparticles, either with drugs, their combinations, or hybrids, represents a key area of innovation.
Dr. Mariano Martínez-Vázquez
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- anticancer drugs
- hybrids
- combinations
- nanoparticles
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