Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Peptides in Anti-Cancer Treatments
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 672
Special Issue Editors
Interests: peptides; anticancer peptide; peptide biomarkers; target theraphy; antigen delivery; cancer vaccine; antimicrobial peptides; cell penetrating peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: peptides; liposomes; delivery systems; targeting peptides; radiolabeled peptides; aggregating peptides; peptide gels; peptide nanogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, which undergo unlimited division and spread to diverse body sites through metastasis. The main challenge in cancer treatment is to target cancerous cells while preserving healthy tissues.
Despite progress in drug discovery, most treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone treatments, have remained largely unchanged in recent years. Additionally, drug resistance often arises due to issues like abnormalities in drug transporters, detoxifying enzymes, or defects in DNA repair and cell death pathways. In the search for new cancer drugs, the development of small molecules has been a key focus. However, unforeseen off-target effects of these molecules have highlighted the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. A new class of anti-cancer agents based on peptides offers several advantages in terms of effectiveness and safety. These small molecules, modeled after natural proteins, are cost-effective to produce and can be easily modified. Peptides are useful in both cancer diagnostics and treatment, providing tumor-specific targeting, a reduced risk of resistance, and lower toxicity compared to traditional therapies.
This Special Issue aims to present a collection of research papers, reviews, and communications focused on the discovery and development of anti-cancer drugs based on peptides, along with potential therapeutic targets for various cancer types.
Dr. Anna Lucia Tornesello
Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Morelli
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- anticancer peptides
- antimicrobial peptides
- cell-penetrating peptides
- therapeutic peptides
- cancer vaccine
- theranostics
- peptidomimetics
- anticancer drugs
- metal–peptide drugs
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