Announcements

MDPI is honored to announce the recipients of the 2025 Best Paper Awards, celebrating exceptional research for its scientific merit and broad impact. After a rigorous evaluation process conducted by Academic Editors, this year’s awards showcase papers that stand out for their innovation, relevance, and high-quality presentation.

Out of a highly competitive pool, 396 winning papers have been recognized for their exceptional contributions. We congratulate these authors for pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines.

At MDPI, we are dedicated to broadening the reach of innovative science. To learn more about the award-winning papers and explore research projects in your field of study, please visit the following links:

• Biology and Life Sciences;
• Business and Economics;
• Chemistry and Materials Sciences;
• Computer Sciences and Mathematics;
• Engineering;
• Environmental and Earth Sciences;
• Medicine and Pharmacology;
• Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities;
• Physical Sciences;
• Public Health and Healthcare.

About MDPI Awards:

To reward the global research community and enhance academic dialogue, MDPI journals regularly host award programs across diverse scientific disciplines. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and whose work drives the advancement of their fields.

Explore the Best Paper Awards open for participation, please click here.

Conference: 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery
Date: 14–17 May 2026, Beijing Time
Conference website: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026

This conference is organized by the MDPI journal Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049, IF: 4.6, and CiteScore: 8.6) and will take place in Beijing, China, from 14 to 17 May 2026 (Beijing time).

Conference Chairs:

• Prof. Dr. Xiaoguang Lei, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, China;
• Prof. Dr. Diego Muñoz-Torrero, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Spain.

Topics of interest:
S1. Chemical biology for drug discovery;
S2. AI for drug discovery;
S3. New proximity-based drug modalities;
S4. Natural products in drug discovery;
S5. Biocatalysis for natural product and drug synthesis;
S6. Drug discovery targeting GPCRs and ion channels;
S7. DNA-encoded libraries in drug discovery;
S8. Medicinal chemistry tales.

Important dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 13 March 2026;
Abstract acceptance notification: 27 March 2026;
Early bird registration deadline: 3 April 2026;
Covering author registration deadline: 3 April 2026;
Registration deadline: 14 May 2026.

Guide for authors:
To submit your abstract, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1319.

To register for the event, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026?section=#registration.

For more information, you may refer to the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026.

For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact mmcs2026@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery.

Conference: The 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka)
Date: 26–29 March 2026
Location: Osaka, Japan

MDPI will be attending the 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka) as an exhibitor, which will be held from 26 to 29 March 2026, and we welcome researchers from diverse backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

Pharmaceutical sciences are comprehensive sciences that require expertise from a wide range of academic fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, medical sciences, and clinical sciences. In order to overcome the various challenges surrounding pharmaceutical sciences today, cross-disciplinary collaboration beyond traditional boundaries has become increasingly important and will be emphasized and discussed during the 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka).

The conference is organized by the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan and chaired by Prof. Takashi Ohshima from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University. The theme is Promoting the Ecosystem in Pharmaceutical Sciences: Future Innovation through Cross-disciplinary Collaboration. This conference will bring together around 5,000 scientists and students to share research advances covering a wide range of scientific topics. The sessions include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Pharmaceutical Chemistry; (2) Pharmaceutical Physics; (3) Pharmaceutical Biology; (4) Pharmaceutical Health Science and Environmental Toxicology; (5) Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences; and (6) Others.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Pharmaceuticals;
• Diseases;
• Pharmacy;
• Applied Biosciences;
• Antibodies;
• Biomedicines;
• Future Pharmacology;
• JPBI;
• JPM;
• Marine Drugs;
• Medicines;
• Pharmaceutics;
• Pharmacoepidemiology.

MDPI is delighted to announce the establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award. Named in honor of Professor Michele Parrinello, the award celebrates his exceptional contributions and his profound impact on the field of computational physical science research.

The award will be presented biennially to distinguished scientists who have made outstanding achievements and contributions in the field of computational physical science—spanning physics, chemistry, and materials science.

About Professor Michele Parrinello

"Do not be afraid of new things. I see it many times when we discuss a new thing that young people are scared to go against the mainstream a little bit, thinking what is going to happen to me and so on. Be confident that what you do is meaningful, and do not be afraid, do not listen too much to what other people have to say.”

——Professor Michele Parrinello

Born in Messina in 1945, he received his degree from the University of Bologna and is currently affiliated with the Italian Institute of Technology. Professor Parrinello is known for his many technical innovations in the field of atomistic simulations and for a wealth of interdisciplinary applications ranging from materials science to chemistry and biology. Together with Roberto Car, he introduced ab initio molecular dynamics, also known as the Car–Parrinello method, marking the beginning of a new era both in the area of electronic structure calculations and in molecular dynamics simulations. He is also known for the Parrinello–Rahman method, which allows crystalline phase transitions to be studied by molecular dynamics. More recently, he has introduced metadynamics for the study of rare events and the calculation of free energies.

For his work, he has been awarded many prizes and honorary degrees. He is a member of numerous academies and learned societies, including the German Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, the British Royal Society, and the Italian Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, which is the major academy in his home country of Italy.

Award Committee

The award committee will be chaired by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, a computational condensed matter physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and professor at the Department of Physics, Fudan University. Professor Xin-Gao Gong will lead a panel of several senior experts in the field to oversee the evaluation and selection process. The Institute for Computational Physical Sciences at Fudan University (Shanghai, China), led by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, will serve as the supporting institute for the award.

"We hope the Michele Parrinello Award will recognize scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of computational condensed matter physics and at the same time set a benchmark for the younger generation, providing clear direction for their pursuit—this is precisely the original intention behind establishing the award."

——Professor Xin-Gao Gong

The first edition of the award was officially launched on 1 November 2025. Nominations will be accepted before the end of March 2026. For further details, please visit mparrinelloaward.org.

About the MDPI Sustainability Foundation and MDPI Awards

The Michele Parrinello Award is part of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing sustainable development through scientific progress and global collaboration. The foundation also oversees the World Sustainability Award, the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award, and the Tu Youyou Award. The establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award will further enrich the existing award portfolio, providing continued and diversified financial support to outstanding professionals across various fields. 

In addition to these foundation-level awards, MDPI journals also recognize outstanding contributions through a range of honors, including Best Paper Awards, Outstanding Reviewer Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Travel Awards, Best PhD Thesis Awards, Editor of Distinction Awards, and others. These initiatives aim to recognize excellence across disciplines and career stages, contributing to the long-term vitality and sustainability of scientific research.

Find more information on awards here.

The 3rd of March is World Wildlife Day, a global observance dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora. As highlighted by the UN, wildlife is fundamental to healthy ecosystems, which provide essential services—from food security and livelihood to climate regulation and cultural value. Yet an estimated one million species are now threatened by extinction due to habitat loss, illegal trade, climate change and human–wildlife conflict. Protecting wildlife safeguards biodiversity, which underpins resilient ecosystems and supports the well-being of communities worldwide, particularly Indigenous peoples and local populations who depend directly on natural resources.

Join us in observing World Wildlife Day by exploring research that advances global conservation goals, such as Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land). Together, these studies amplify the call to action, uniting scientists, policymakers, and local stewards to ensure a future where wildlife thrives and continues to sustain both people and the planet.

Invited speakers:

Prof. Dr. Vanessa Steenkamp, University of Pretoria, South Africa	Dr. Alessandra Carrubba, University of Palermo, Italy

Register for this webinar for free here!

“Preliminary Studies on In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Against Staphylococcus aureus of Supercritical Fluid Extract from Juniperus oxycedrus: Evidence on Phenols Effect”
by Ilir Mërtiri, Leontina Grigore-Gurgu, Liliana Mihalcea, Iuliana Aprodu, Mihaela Turturică, Gabriela Râpeanu and Nicoleta Stănciuc
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(2), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19020287

“Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Diversity of Greece: Biodiversity Knowledge, Ethnobotany and Sustainable Use—A Short Review”
by Alexandra D. Solomou, Aikaterini Molla and Elpiniki Skoufogianni
Diversity 2026, 18(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/d18010056

“Biochemical Diversity and Nutraceutical Potential of Medicinal Plant-Based Herbal Teas from Southwestern Türkiye”
by Halil Ibrahim Sagbas, Saban Kordali, Sena Sahin, Selçuk Küçükaydın and Elif Uyduran
Plants 2026, 15(1), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010125

“Sea-Derived Organic Amendments Enhance Growth and Nitrogen Dynamics in Sage Cultivation (Salvia officinalis L.)”
by Aikaterini Molla, Alexios Lolas and Elpiniki Skoufogianni
Nitrogen 2026, 7(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen7010005

“Intercropping Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with Other Crops: Insights from a Review of Sustainable Farming Practices”
by Milica Aćimović, Juliana Navarro Rocha, Alban Ibraliu, Janko Červenski, Vladimir Sikora, Silvia Winter, Biljana Lončar, Lato Pezo and Ivan Salamon
Agronomy 2025, 15(12), 2692; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15122692

“A Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Aromatic and Medicinal Plant Species Classification Using a Curated Leaf Image Dataset”
by Shareena E. M., D. Abraham Chandy, Shemi P. M. and Alwin Poulose
AgriEngineering 2025, 7(8), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7080243

“Antioxidant Potential and Its Changes Caused by Various Factors in Lesser-Known Medicinal and Aromatic Plants”
by Sona Skrovankova and Jiri Mlcek
Horticulturae 2025, 11(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11010104

“Nutraceutical Value of Eleven Aromatic Medicinal Plants and Azorean Camellia sinensis: Comparison of Antioxidant Properties and Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents”
by Lisete Sousa Paiva, Madalena Hintze Motta and José António Bettencourt Baptista
Processes 2024, 12(7), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071375

“Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) from Alentejo (South Portugal)—Ethnobotany and Potential Industrial Use”
by Orlanda Póvoa, Noémia Farinha, Violeta Lopes, Alexandra M. Machado and Ana Cristina Figueiredo
Foods 2024, 13(6), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060929

“The Most Relevant Socio-Economic Aspects of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants through a Literature Review”
by Maria Pergola, Enrica De Falco, Angelo Belliggiano and Corrado Ievoli
Agriculture 2024, 14(3), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030405

“Omics Era in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Towards a New Age of Agriculture and Sustainability” Guest Editors: Dr. Jong-Wook Chung and Dr. Sebastin Raveendar Submission deadline: 25 June 2026	“Plant Diversity Discovery and Resource Utilization” Guest Editors: Dr. Feifei Li and Prof. Dr. Giovanni Bacaro Submission deadline: 30 June 2026
“Ethnobotany in a Changing World: Strategies for Plant Conservation” Guest Editors: Dr. Dessislava Dimitrova and Dr. Teodora Ivanova Submission deadline: 31 October 2026	“Progress in Wildlife Conservation, Management and Biological Research—2nd Edition” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Ana Carolina Srbek-Araujo Submission deadline: 28 February 2027
“New Insights in Plants D­­­iversity and Conservation”	“New Trends and Innovations in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, and Specialty Crops, 2nd Edition”

Welcome message from the Chair:

Dear colleagues and distinguished guests,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to this webinar organized in connection with our Special Issue, “Structural and Computationally Driven Molecule Design in Drug Discovery: 2nd Edition”. We are delighted to have you here with us today and thank you for your interest and participation.

Drug discovery and development remain one of the most complex, time-consuming, and high-risk endeavors in modern science. In this challenging landscape, the integration of computational approaches with experimental validation has become not only complementary but essential. The strong compliance between in silico predictions and experimental outcomes now represents a cornerstone of rational drug design, enabling more efficient target identification, lead discovery, and lead optimization.

Advances in computer-aided drug design—ranging from molecular docking and virtual screening to molecular dynamics simulations, QSAR modeling, and pharmacophore generation—have significantly transformed how we understand ligand–target interactions at the molecular level. At the same time, progress in structural biology, including X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic techniques, continues to provide high-resolution insights into macromolecular drug targets, further enriching computational methodologies and model accuracy.

Another critical bottleneck in drug development is the failure of promising candidates due to unfavorable ADMET properties. Here, in silico ADMET prediction has emerged as a powerful, cost-effective strategy to prioritize compounds early in the pipeline, reducing attrition rates and accelerating translational success.

More recently, the rapid rise in artificial intelligence and machine learning has opened entirely new horizons in drug discovery and personalized medicine. AI-driven models now play an increasingly important role in predicting binding affinities, toxicity risks, physicochemical properties, and even guiding de novo molecular design, bringing us closer to truly precision-driven therapeutics.

This webinar aims to provide deep mechanistic insights into structural dynamics and state-of-the-art computational strategies that drive modern molecule design. It also serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary discussion, and the sharing of innovative ideas that bridge theory and experiment.

We hope that today’s presentations and discussions will inspire new collaborations, stimulate scientific curiosity, and contribute meaningfully to advancing the field of drug discovery.

Thank you once again for joining us. We wish you a stimulating and productive webinar.

Warm regards,

Assoc. Prof. Halilibrahim Ciftci

Date: 13 March 2026 at 4:00 p.m. CET | 11:00 a.m. EST | 11:00 p.m. CST Asia

Webinar ID: 823 1528 8737

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with email addresses from academic institutions will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:

• Assoc. Prof. Halilibrahim Ciftci, ¹ Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur 15030, Türkiye; ² Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan; ³ Department of Drug Discovery, Science Farm Ltd., Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan;
• Asst. Prof. Jonathan Stokes, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Canada;
• Asst. Prof. Hasan Demirci, ¹ Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Türkiye; ² Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA;
• Assoc. Prof. Belgin Sever, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, 26470 Eskisehir, Türkiye;
• Asst. Prof. Khaled M. Elamin, Global Center for Natural Products Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 5-1 Oe-honmachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan.

This Academic Publishing Workshop will be led by MDPI Regional Journal Relations Specialist, Dr. Sally Wu, on “Author Training”. Participants will receive practical advice on essential aspects of writing academic articles. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the academic publishing landscape and how to successfully contribute to it.

Date: 25 February 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. EST

Schedule:

Speakers:

MDPI has surpassed the milestone of 1,000 partners within the Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). The agreements span 59 countries, covering North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Last year alone, more than 150 new libraries and academic institutions joined MDPI’s IOAP. With the expansion of an existing consortium deal in Sweden we welcomed a further 75 partners to the program in January 2026, enabling us to surpass the 1,000-partners milestone.

The IOAP supports affiliated researchers by streamlining submission processes, reducing administrative burdens, and offering discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs). Through IOAP membership, more than 61,300 research articles received APC discounts in 2025, driving greater visibility and accessibility for partner institutions and global research communities alike.

"This milestone marks a significant step towards expanding MDPI’s global impact," said Stefan Tochev, MDPI's CEO. "Reaching 1,000 IOAP partnerships is a true testament to the growing trust and collaboration we’ve built with universities, libraries, and research organizations worldwide. We are proud to lead the way in Open Access publishing, ensuring researchers have the support they need to reach global audiences." "The success of our program is reflected in the growing global demand for Open Science and quality publishing services," said Becky Castellon, MDPI institutional partnerships manager. "Equally, institutions are increasingly seeking Open Access publishing options that support funder and national mandates. Joining the IOAP makes compliance simple."

The editorial office of Pharmaceuticals would like to extend its sincere gratitude to all reviewers who contributed to the improvement of the journal quality by providing their expert opinion and evaluation of the submitted research.

We appreciate that thorough peer review demands considerable time and intellectual investment from our reviewers. In 2025, Pharmaceuticals received 10321 review reports from contributors across 107 countries and territories, demonstrating the breadth of international expertise and scholarly engagement that has strengthened our publication standards.

The reviewers who agreed to have their names published this year are listed below in alphabetical order by first name. The editorial team acknowledges with gratitude all reviewers, named and anonymous alike, for their vital role in maintaining the scholarly standards of Pharmaceuticals.