molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Biomarker for Molecular-Targeted Cancer Therapy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 438

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
Interests: cancer biomarker; lipid nanoparticle; cancer genetics; transcription factor; molecular classification of cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on biomarkers that guide molecular-targeted cancer therapy, emphasizing how clinically relevant biomarkers can be translated into molecularly actionable targets through chemical and mechanistic investigation. As biomarkers become increasingly central to precision oncology, understanding their biochemical functions, structural properties, and targetability is essential for the rational development of effective therapies.

Chemical biology provides powerful approaches to dissect how biomarkers regulate oncogenic pathways, influence therapeutic responses, and create molecular vulnerabilities amenable to targeted intervention. These approaches—ranging from small-molecule modulators and chemical probes to mechanistic and pathway-level analyses—help bridge the gap between clinical biomarker discovery and molecular-targeted therapeutic development.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews that integrate biomarker biology with molecular, biochemical, and chemical approaches, including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. Biomarker-driven identification of druggable pathways and therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer;
  2. Chemical biology tools (small molecules, probes, inhibitors, degraders) for studying biomarker-associated signaling mechanisms;
  3. Functional and mechanistic studies elucidating how biomarker-defined molecular alterations modulate cancer progression or treatment response;
  4. Development and application of molecular probes and chemical imaging agents for biomarker detection, monitoring, or pathway interrogation;
  5. Integrative multi-omics, structural, or biochemical analyses linking biomarker signatures to molecular interactions or therapeutic mechanisms;
  6. Chemical or biochemical approaches to investigate drug resistance in biomarker-defined cancer subtypes;
  7. AI-assisted or computational methods for predicting biomarker–target interactions or guiding molecular design of targeted therapeutics.

This Special Issue aims to bring together studies that combine clinical relevance with molecular precision, illustrating how biomarker insights can drive innovation in chemical biology and the development of targeted anticancer strategies.

Prof. Dr. Sae-Ock Oh
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-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

  • biomarkers
  • chemical biology
  • targeted cancer therapy
  • molecular mechanisms
  • small-molecule probes
  • druggable pathways
  • precision oncology

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

34 pages, 2285 KB  
Review
Circulating Tumour Cells as Potential Biomarkers for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
by Mzubanzi Mabongo, Talent Chipiti, Rodney Hull, Lindokuhle Sibiya, Boitumelo Phakathi and Zodwa Dlamini
Molecules 2026, 31(7), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31071145 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 263
Abstract
This review evaluates the emerging role of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) as clinically meaningful, minimally invasive biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite advances in management, OSCC continues to demonstrate high morbidity and mortality, largely due to late diagnosis and the absence [...] Read more.
This review evaluates the emerging role of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) as clinically meaningful, minimally invasive biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite advances in management, OSCC continues to demonstrate high morbidity and mortality, largely due to late diagnosis and the absence of validated biomarkers for early detection or real-time monitoring. Conventional diagnostic tools, tissue biopsy, and imaging provide only static snapshots and fail to capture tumour heterogeneity or evolving biological behaviour. CTCs offer a novel and significant opportunity to address these limitations. Key findings from recent studies highlight that CTC enumeration correlates with tumour burden, nodal metastasis, recurrence, and overall prognosis. Molecular and phenotypic characterisation further reveals dynamic traits such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition, stemness, and therapy resistance, providing insights into metastatic potential and treatment failure. Technological advances, including immunocytochemistry, microfluidic capture platforms, PCR-based assays, and next-generation sequencing, have enhanced the sensitivity and specificity of CTC detection and enabled detailed multi-omic profiling. Collectively, evidence suggests that integrating CTC analysis into OSCC clinical workflows could improve early detection, refine risk stratification, personalise therapeutic strategies, and support longitudinal monitoring of disease dynamics. As research progresses, CTC-based diagnostics represent a promising frontier in shifting OSCC management toward more precise, adaptive, and biologically informed care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarker for Molecular-Targeted Cancer Therapy)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop