Development of Antiviral Agents: Natural and Synthetic Approaches in Drug Discovery

Dear Colleagues,

Viral infections continue to pose a significant global health challenge, owing to the emergence of new pathogens and the spread of drug-resistant viral strains, highlighting the need for innovative and effective antiviral therapies. Natural products and synthetic small molecules play a pivotal role in antiviral drug discovery, offering versatile chemical scaffolds for the development of new therapeutics targeting key biological stages of the viral life cycle. Progress in medicinal chemistry, molecular modelling and biological screening have accelerated the identification of promising lead compounds, enabling a deeper understanding of structure–activity relationships and mechanisms of antiviral action.

This Special Issue, “Development of Antiviral Agents: Natural and Synthetic Approaches in Drug Discovery”, focuses on recent advances in antiviral drug discovery, from the exploration of bioactive natural substances to the design and optimization of synthetic small molecules. High-quality original research articles and reviews focusing on the targeted inhibition of viral components, antiviral mechanisms of action and resistance, scaffold optimization strategies and integrated approaches combining chemical, biological and biophysical methodologies are particularly encouraged.

This Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date overview of current strategies contributing to antiviral drug discovery and to promote the development of new therapeutic approaches to address present and future viral threats.

Dr. Alessandra Montalbano
Guest Editor

Dr. Roberta Bivacqua
Dr. Paolo Malune
Guest Editor Assistants

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