Beyond Convention: Novel Sources, Strategies, and Technologies for Researching Fungal Bioactives
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 31
Special Issue Editors
Interests: herbal standardization; herbal synergy; neurobiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: lichen taxonomy; species diversity; phylogeny and biogeography; tolerance of lichens; speciation; diversity survey; lichenized fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fungi represent a vast reservoir of bioactive compounds with unparalleled structural diversity and therapeutic potential, yet they remain underexplored using conventional experimental approaches, which are constrained by cultivability limits, redundant sampling, and technological barriers. This Special Issue, “Beyond Convention: Novel Sources, Strategies, and Technologies for Researching Fungal Bioactives”, seeks to overcome these boundaries by spotlighting cutting-edge methodologies that are revolutionizing the field.
We welcome contributions that harness unconventional fungal sources—extremophiles, endophytes, lichen symbionts, and unculturable taxa—via metagenomics, alongside transformative technologies such as AI/ML-driven metabolite prediction, CRISPR-based pathway engineering, integrated omics (genome-mining, metabolomics), and advanced analytical platforms (NMR crystallography, IM-MS, microED). Studies may address novel compound discovery, biosynthesis elucidation, heterologous expression, or bioactivity-guided structure optimization.
By transcending traditional paradigms, this Special Issue aims to usher in a new era of fungal biodiscovery: one where synthetic biology, computational tools, and culture innovation converge to unlock bioactive “dark matter”. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives that bridge laboratory breakthroughs with real-world applications of fungi in medicine, agriculture, and industry.
Prof. Dr. Karl Wah-Keung Tsim
Dr. Xinyu Wang
Guest Editors
Dr. Meixia Yang
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- fungal bioactives
- genome mining
- metagenomics
- synthetic biology
- AI-driven discovery
- structure elucidation
- extremophilic fungi
- drug discovery pipelines
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