Targeted Cancer Therapy: Small Molecules and Immunotherapy

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide, with 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Conventional cytotoxic agents have low therapeutic index and frequently display toxicity in cells. The need for innovative chemotypes and the identification of new cancer-relevant targets therefore crucial. In addition to recently developed materials and nanotechnologies, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are still the current vehicles of choice for targeted delivery in Oncology. Over the last couple of years, the use of low-molecular-weight-targeted agents, used as small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs), has slowly established as a promising alternative to overcome ADCs' limitations.

Exploiting new biomarkers for selective cancer imaging and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents (e.g., cytotoxic agents, small-molecule inhibitors, siRNA, immunomodelators) a pioneering and original means of defying several cancer types.

This Special Issue intentends to publish original and/or review articles covering the state-of-the-art and future viewpoints of targeted therapies in cancer treatment.

Prof. Dr. Marta Coimbra Marques
Guest Editor

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