Small Molecule Inhibitors of Polymerases Involved in Human Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Polymerases are a very diverse superfamily of enzymes that synthesize long chains of nucleic acids. They are essential across all the domains of life and viruses. Therefore, many polymerases are targets of numerous drugs that have often become the first available drugs for treatment of devastating human diseases (nucleosides, as AZT for AIDS treatment, gemcitabine against cancer or, recently, remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2) or game-changers for halting them (non-nucleoside allosteric inhibitors, as exemplified by rilpivirine for AIDS treatment, sofosbuvir against hepatitis C, and rifampicin against tuberculosis). In spite of such successes, compounds targeting polymerases have also experienced high attrition rates in clinical trials due to toxicity and lack of selectivity. Additionally, the current pandemic has put a spotlight on the necessity for broad-range drugs that can help to face the next pandemic, deal with neglected diseases (such as yellow fever or Zika disease) or to address the incoming challenge of antibiotic resistance.

In this context, we are proposing a new Special Issue titled "Small Molecule Inhibitors of Polymerases Involved in Human Diseases". This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research, communications, and review manuscripts focusing on polymerases as targets for therapy, novel inhibitor and drug discovery strategies, as well as structural and mechanistic characterization of relevant polymerase–inhibitor complexes for human diseases.

Dr. Francesc Xavier Ruiz
Dr. Joy Y. Feng
Guest Editors

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.