Announcements

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.

MDPI and Pharmaceuticals (ISSN: 1424-8247) are excited to invite you to a webinar focused on the emerging therapeutic potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their applications in biomedicine, from antimicrobial action to tailored therapeutic strategies.

This webinar offers a valuable perspective on advances in nanoparticle-based therapeutics and how these materials are being reimagined for diverse biomedical challenges. Presenters will explore how size and shape-dependent properties of AgNPs can be leveraged across different disease contexts, including microbial photodynamic inactivation, targeted photothermal therapy, applications in chemotherapy, and comparing silver and carbon-based nanoparticles for the treatment of diabetes.

We look forward to the exchange of ideas and insights during this session.

Date: 4 February 2026
Time: 16:00 WET | 11:00 EST
Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8517685990896/WN_k27Htes4SHqjqfS6CSrSrg
Webinar ID: 851 1492 2063
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Webinar announcement: https://sciforum.net/event/Pharmaceuticals-6?subscribe

Register now for free!

Program:

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

Unable to attend? Feel free to still register; we will inform you when the recording is available.

Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Goreti Pereira, Chemistry Department and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3800-724 Aveiro, Portugal.
• Dr. B. Rabindran Jermy, Department of Nano Medicine, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University P.O. Box No. 1982, Dammam 31441, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
• Prof. Dr. Debbie C. Crans, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.

Relevant Special Issues:
“Therapeutic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs), 2nd Edition”
Guest Editor: Dr. Goreti Pereira

“Therapeutic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs)”
Guest Editor: Dr. Goreti Pereira
Deadline for manuscript submissions: Closed (30 November 2024)

“Metal-Based Nanoparticles’ Biological Activity and Pharmaceutical Applications, 2nd Edition”
Guest Editors: Dr. Elitsa L. Pavlova and Prof. Dr. Debbie C. Crans
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2026

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.

Dr. Mohamed Salem is a post-doctoral fellow at The University of Osaka. His research focuses on addressing key challenges and chart new frontiers in the application of small organic molecules (SOMs) across diverse material-based contexts. We would like to congratulate Dr. Mohamed Salem for winning the Pharmaceuticals 2026 Travel Award.

The following is an interview with Dr. Salem:

1. As the winner of this award, what would you most like to share or express?
I am very happy and grateful. This award motivates me to keep working harder and investing in my professional growth. Scientific conferences are a great chance to meet outstanding researchers, learn directly from their talks, and build a strong network. For early-career researchers, this kind of exposure can be truly transformative.

2. How did you first learn about this award, and what motivated you to apply?
I first learned about the award through the journal’s website. It seemed like a great opportunity, so I decided to apply. In honesty, I did not expect to win, as I always try to focus on doing my best and not overthinking the outcome, but I am very happy about and thankful for the result.

3. Could you briefly introduce your primary research focus and outline your current work? Looking ahead, what do you see as the key emerging topics in your field over the next few years?
My academic background started in pharmacy, and my early focus was medicinal chemistry. Currently, I am working on integrating modern AI and machine learning approaches with experimental and computational chemistry to develop molecules that have potential either as drug candidates or as functional materials. A key part of my work is understanding how molecular structure controls properties, whether biological activity or optoelectronic behavior. Over the next few years, I expect AI/ML to play an even bigger role in terms of accelerating design cycles, improving the prediction of key properties, and helping reduce the time and cost needed to move from the development of an idea to the creation of useful candidates.

4. What does this award mean for your research career and for your participation in this conference?
I am truly grateful for this opportunity and for the growth it will enable. Attending the conference may lead to new collaborations, fresh ideas, and a broader view of promising directions I can explore in my research. I still have a lot to learn, and this support will help me to move faster and with more confidence.

5. From your perspective, how can academic journals and publishers better support early-career researchers and the wider academic community?
Academic competition is intense, especially for researchers who are still finding their path. That is why supporting early-career scientists is essential. Journals can help by ensuring a fair and constructive peer-review process, providing clearer editorial guidance, speeding up decision timelines when possible, and offering opportunities such as travel awards, early-career spotlights, and mentoring initiatives. More support for transparency, reproducibility, and accessible publishing models would also benefit the wider community.

6. Based on your experience, do you have any specific suggestions for the future development of Pharmaceuticals?
I would love to see Pharmaceuticals further strengthen its role as a bridge between drug discovery and emerging digital tools. For example, dedicated Sections or Special Issues on AI/ML in Pharmaceuticals, data-driven formulation design, and predictive models for stability and delivery performance could be very impactful. I also think that the journal could push reporting standards even further (clearer requirements for reproducibility, experimental detail, and data availability), to make studies easier to build upon. Finally, continued support for early-career researchers (Editorials, invited perspectives, awards, and reviewer training programs) would help the journal to grow a strong and active research community.

We have expanded our open access portfolio with eight new journals publishing their inaugural issues in December 2025, as well as three journal transfers. These additions span physical sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, environmental and Earth sciences, medicine and pharmacology, and public health and healthcare. We extend our sincere thanks to the Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Editorial Board Members who are shaping these journals’ direction. All journals uphold strong editorial standards through a thorough peer review process, ensuring impactful open access scholarship.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.