Advanced Metal-Based Drug Formulations in Cancer Treatment
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cancer; tumor microenvironment; chemotherapy; cell reprogramming; drug discovery; metal-based drugs; novel therapeutic strategies
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite the remarkable expansion of precision-targeted therapies and approaches aimed at modulating the tumor microenvironment, therapy resistance remains one of the central unresolved challenges in oncology. Consequently, therapeutic options for advanced malignancies are often directed toward nonselective chemotherapeutics with pronounced cytotoxicity. In this context, platinum-based drugs remain among the leading therapeutic choices for some of the most aggressive cancers. At the same time, growing evidence suggests that the potential of metal-based anticancer agents extends far beyond their conventional role as purely cytotoxic compounds. Through modification of the metal center, rational ligand design, conjugation with other bioactive molecules, and advanced formulation strategies, these agents may not only target proliferating malignant cells but also modulate cancer cell phenotype and key features of the tumor microenvironment. Their selectivity and therapeutic efficacy may be further refined through formulation in free form or within nanomaterial-based delivery systems, while specific intratumoral conditions may serve as endogenous triggers for activation. This Special Issue therefore seeks contributions that reflect a modern view of cancer as a complex, multicellular, self-organizing system that requires therapeutic strategies extending beyond cytotoxicity alone, along with metal-based agent/platform drug design aimed at addressing these challenges.
Dr. Sanja A. Mijatović
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- metal-based drugs
- chemotherapy
- cancer
- tumor microenvironment
- hybrid molecules
- drug design
- anticancer activity
- drug delivery
- tumor resistance
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