Innovative Anticancer Compounds and Therapeutic Strategies
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 76
Special Issue Editors
Interests: anticancer activity; apoptosis; cell death; combination therapy; cuproptosis; cytotoxicity; DNA damage; DNA repair; drug design; ferroptosis; necroptosis; proliferation; pyrazoles; tetrazoles; triazines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: anticancer activity; apoptosis; cell death; combination therapy; cytotoxicity; DNA damage; DNA repair; plant-derived compounds; plant extracts; proliferation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The continuous advancement of chemical biology has led to the discovery and development of novel anticancer compounds with improved specificity and efficacy. The integration of chemical synthesis, computational drug design, and biological evaluation plays a crucial role in identifying innovative therapeutic strategies against cancer. Interdisciplinary collaborations have significantly contributed to this rapidly evolving field, leading to groundbreaking discoveries in targeted therapies, small-molecule inhibitors, and promising compounds with novel mechanisms of action. Furthermore, natural compounds have emerged as a valuable source of potential anticancer agents, offering diverse chemical structures and bioactive properties that can selectively target cancer cells while minimizing adverse effects on healthy tissues. Many plant-derived molecules, microbial metabolites, and marine-derived compounds have demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against various cancer types, often acting through unique pathways.
This Special Issue of Molecules invites original research articles, reviews, and perspectives on the latest developments in the design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel anticancer agents. We welcome contributions that explore innovative approaches, including structure-based drug design, natural product-derived compounds, high-throughput screening, and chemical biology techniques aimed at elucidating new anticancer mechanisms. Studies integrating computational and experimental methodologies to accelerate drug discovery are particularly encouraged.
This Special Issue aligns with the journal’s mission to advance chemical sciences and related interdisciplinary fields by addressing the following:
- The design, synthesis, and characterization of novel small molecules with anticancer activity.
- Development of targeted therapies, including kinase inhibitors, epigenetic modulators, and protein–protein interaction disruptors.
- Advances in chemical biology tools for identifying and validating novel drug targets in cancer.
- High-throughput screening and structure-based drug discovery approaches.
- Evaluation of natural compounds as anticancer agents.
- Mechanistic studies of novel anticancer agents, including their interactions with biomolecular targets.
- Translational approaches and preclinical evaluation of newly identified compounds.
The discovery and optimization of novel chemical compounds as anticancer agents represent a critical frontier in drug development. By leveraging recent advancements in chemical biology, this Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research that contributes to the development of next-generation cancer therapeutics.
Dr. Mateusz Kciuk
Dr. Beata Marciniak
Guest Editors
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
- chemical biology
- cancer therapeutics
- natural compounds
- small molecule drug discovery
- targeted therapy
- high-throughput screening
- structure-based drug design
- translational research
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