Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Ocean University of China: Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Marine Novel Natural Products

Dear Colleagues,

Founded in 1924, the Ocean University of China is one of the nation's leading educational institutions and comprehensive research universities. In 2003, Marine Drugs was founded at the Ocean University of China by the esteemed professor Guan Huashi, the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In celebration of the centenary milestone of the Ocean University of China, this Special Issue invites research on the “Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Marine Novel Natural Products”. Marine environments host an incredible diversity of unique natural compounds with vast therapeutic potential. Marine organisms are renowned as a vast reservoir of bioactive compounds with unique chemical structures and pharmacological potential. From deep-sea sponges to coastal algae, the ocean provides an abundance of natural products that hold promise for advancing drug discovery and development. To unlock the full therapeutic potential of marine natural products, it is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of their molecular targets within biological systems. Identifying these targets is key to uncovering mechanisms of action, refining drug design, and progressing toward the clinical application of marine-derived therapeutics.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, case studies, and perspectives on various aspects of target identification related to marine natural products. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Mechanistic insights into the biological activities of marine-derived compounds;

(2) Target identification of marine compounds with therapeutic potential across a range of disease areas, such as thrombosis, vascular disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammation;

(3) Strategies to address challenges in target identification for marine natural products.

For this Special Issue, we encourage contributions from researchers across scientific disciplines to share their latest discoveries, comprehensive reviews, and expert perspectives in this interdisciplinary field, advancing our understanding of potential therapeutic benefits of marine novel natural products.

Prof. Dr. Peng Fu
Prof. Dr. Chuanbin Shen
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-anonymized 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.