molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Recent Advances in Fragment-Based Drug Discovery

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1545

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
Interests: drug discovery; SBDD; computational chemistry; ternary complex
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged as a powerful strategy in modern drug discovery, with successful applications across a wide range of targets including proteins, RNA, and macromolecular complexes. To date, several FDA-approved drugs and numerous clinical candidates have been derived from FBDD. With the rapid integration of AI-driven approaches in structural biology and drug discovery, FBDD is poised to play an even more pivotal role in drug discovery, particularly when combined with complementary technologies.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances and future directions in FBDD. We welcome contributions that discuss the following topics: development of novel fragment libraries with unique features; advances in screening methods and technologies; strategies for fragment growth to improve potency and specificity; synergies between computational and experimental approaches in fragment screening and fragment growth; case studies of hit identification using biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based assays; case studies of lead development from fragments; and applications of FBDD in developing protein degraders. By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue will showcase how FBDD continues to evolve as a central pillar of drug discovery.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Congbao Kang
Dr. Weijun Xu
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. 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.

Keywords

  • fragment-based screening
  • fragment-based drug design
  • structure biology
  • drug discovery
  • protein–ligand interactions
  • structure-based drug design
  • computation-based drug design
  • AI-guided drug discovery

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

21 pages, 934 KB  
Review
NMR-Based Fragment Screening for RNA-Targeted Drug Discovery
by Riley J. Petersen and Yaqiang Wang
Molecules 2026, 31(6), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31060916 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged as a primary approach for identifying low molecular weight leads that can be systematically optimized into high-affinity compounds. Because fragments bind inherently weakly, their detection relies on highly sensitive biophysical tools. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is [...] Read more.
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged as a primary approach for identifying low molecular weight leads that can be systematically optimized into high-affinity compounds. Because fragments bind inherently weakly, their detection relies on highly sensitive biophysical tools. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is uniquely qualified for fragment screening due to its capability in detecting weak interactions across a broad affinity range while providing site-specific binding information that supports structure-guided optimization. While FBDD is a mature field for protein targets, structured and disease-relevant RNAs have transitioned from ‘undruggable’ molecules to viable therapeutic targets for small-molecule intervention. Recent studies demonstrate that NMR-based screening can identify authentic RNA binders and guide their evolution into potent, selective ligands. This review summarizes the practical and methodological pipelines for RNA-targeted small molecule NMR screening, covering RNA construct design, sample preparation, and library pooling strategies. We evaluate both ligand- and RNA-observed NMR assays for primary hit screening and validation, integration of NMR restraints with structural modeling, and representative case studies. Finally, we discuss current bottlenecks in the field and highlight emerging strategies to accelerate the discovery of RNA-directed therapeutics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Fragment-Based Drug Discovery)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop