Viral Oncology and Targeted Therapies for Virus-Associated Cancers
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 13
Special Issue Editors
Interests: oncoviruses; tumorigenesis; drug therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Virus-associated cancers account for approximately 15–20% of global cancer cases, with pathogens such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B/C viruses (HBV/HCV), and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) playing well-established roles in oncogenesis. This Special Issue focuses on cutting-edge research at the intersection of viral oncology and therapeutic development, aiming to bridge fundamental virology with translational clinical applications.
We invite contributions that explore the following:
- Molecular mechanisms of viral oncogenesis, including viral oncoprotein functions, host cell reprogramming, and immune evasion strategies.
- Novel therapeutic approaches, such as targeted antivirals, immunotherapies (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic vaccines), and gene-editing technologies (CRISPR systems) against viral DNA integration.
- Precision medicine strategies for virus-driven cancers, including biomarker discovery and patient stratification.
- Drug repurposing and combinatorial therapies to overcome treatment resistance.
- Epidemiological insights into emerging virus-cancer associations and global disparities in disease burden.
This Special Issue will highlight interdisciplinary studies employing in vitro models, animal studies, and clinical trial data, with a particular interest in therapies nearing clinical translation. By synthesizing knowledge from virology, oncology, and pharmacology, we aim to accelerate progress toward eliminating virus-associated malignancies.
Dr. Yonggang Pei
Dr. Hua Zhang
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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
- viral oncoproteins
- oncolytic viruses
- antiviral therapy
- cancer immunotherapy
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