Novel Antiparasitic Molecules for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of parasitic infections affecting over a billion people in tropical and subtropical regions, primarily impacting impoverished communities. These diseases are caused by a variety of pathogens, including protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Prominent examples include Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis, filariasis, and leishmaniasis. Together, NTDs affect more than one billion people globally, exerting a profound impact on public health, economic development, and social well-being in endemic communities. Despite progress having been made, these diseases remain underfunded and under-researched. Many current therapies suffer from high toxicity, limited efficacy, growing drug resistance, and impractical treatment regimens that hinder control efforts in endemic settings.

This Special Issue invites original research papers and comprehensive reviews that explore the discovery, design, and development of new antiparasitic molecules with potential application against neglected tropical diseases. Contributions may include studies on natural products, synthetic organic compounds, metal-based drugs, hybrid molecules, or repurposed drugs. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following: molecular targets, structure–activity relationships, in vitro and in vivo activity, mechanisms of action, and innovative delivery systems. Research that bridges the gap between molecular innovation and therapeutic application is especially encouraged.

Dr. Carlos Monteiro
Guest Editor

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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.