Application of Marine Chitin and Chitosan, 3rd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of this serial Special Issue titled “Application of Marine Chitin and Chitosan” (First edition: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs/special_issues/Application_Marine_Chitin_Chitosan, Second edition: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs/special_issues/Application_Marine_Chitin_Chitosan_II), we are delighted to present the third Special Issue on this topical area.

Chitin and chitosan are biopolymers that are derived from natural sources, including marine crustaceans, squid pens and sponges. Chitosan is a deacetylated derivative of chitin, with both chitin and chitosan having unique properties and advantages for biomedical applications, most notably biocompatibility and biodegradability. Chitin and chitosan have functional groups such as hydroxyl and amine groups that allow for the conjugation of therapeutic molecules to biopolymers. Processing methods also allow for the tailoring of chitin or chitosan properties by modifying the degree of deacetylation, molecular weight, viscosity, mineral content and protein content, among other properties. These naturally sourced materials are abundant and sustainable, which has proven advantageous for their use in biomedical applications when compared to synthetic polymers. Chitin and chitosan have many applications in the field of therapeutic biomaterials, including anti-infective materials, tissue engineering templates, drug delivery devices, transfection agents for gene therapy and implant coatings.

This Special Issue will provide a platform for researchers to publish studies using these biopolymers and their derivatives in biomedical contexts. We welcome innovative research on biomedical and therapeutic applications of chitin and chitosan.

Dr. Jessica Amber Jennings
Dr. Tippabattini Jayaramudu
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 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. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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.