Medicinal Chemistry
A section of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247).
Section Information
The section of Medicinal Chemistry welcomes manuscripts involving aspects within the definition of medicinal chemistry related to the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of biologically active compounds, the study of their metabolism, the interpretation of their mode of action at the molecular level and the construction of structure-activity relationships. Novel strategies and methodologies with relevant application to chemical biology and medicinal chemistry are also welcome.
Our aim is to publish updated reviews as well as research articles with comprehensive theoretical and experimental details covering all aspects of small molecules as drug candidates e.g. drug discovery and design, combinatorial chemistry, structure-property correlations, molecular modelling and bioinformatics. Short communications are also accepted; therefore, there is no restriction on the length of a paper. Download Section Flyer
Keywords
- New synthetic routes for drug candidates
- Lead discovery and optimization methods; structure–activity relationships and QSAR
- Structure-based drug design, molecular modelling, docking studies and crystal structure analysis
- Identification and validation of novel drug targets, and high-throughput screening
- Virtual screening, database mining, and machine learning in drug discovery
- Role of ADMET in drug discovery
- Chemical biology and chemical probes
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Enzyme Inhibitors: Potential Therapeutic Approaches, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 15 August 2026)
- Crystal Engineering in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (Deadline: 25 August 2026)
- A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Carlos Alberto Manssour Fraga: Medicinal Chemistry’s Efforts to Discover Novel Bioactive Molecules for Complex Diseases (Deadline: 28 August 2026)
- Multitargeted Compounds: A Promising Approach in Medicinal Chemistry—2nd Edition (Deadline: 28 August 2026)
- Molecular Systems for the Delivery of Drugs and Contrast Agents, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- New Perspective of Antiviral Drugs (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Pyrazole and Its Derivatives: Drug Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Current Advances, Applications and Future Development of Transition Metal Complexes, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Hybrid Molecules in Medicinal Chemistry: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Endocannabinoid-Like Mediators and Their Derivatives (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Pharmacological Innovations for Healthy Ageing Throughout Life (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Research on Guanidine-Based Drugs: Synthesis, Antiparasitic, Antifungal, Antiviral, and Anticancer Activities (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Medicinal Chemistry of Thiazine and Oxazine Derivatives: Trends and Future Directions as Therapeutic Drugs (Deadline: 10 September 2026)
- Biomarkers in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases (Deadline: 10 September 2026)
- Structural Insights into Protein Kinases-Targeted Therapies: Overcoming Resistance and Advancing Precision Oncology (Deadline: 20 September 2026)
- Advances in the Medicinal Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Design and Development of PLGA and Polysaccharide Microparticles (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Natural Products with Anticancer Activity (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Heterocyclic Compounds in Medicinal Chemistry, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Recent Advancements in the Development of Antiprotozoal Agents: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Omics Approaches in Drug Discovery, Precision Therapy, and Disease Prevention (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Advances in Small-Molecule Therapeutics Targeting Signaling Pathways (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Therapeutic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs), 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Design, Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel Opioid/Non-Opioid Hybrid Compounds (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Integrated In Silico, In Cellulo, In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches in Modern Drug Discovery (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Application of 2D and 3D-QSAR Models in Drug Design: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Chronic Inflammation: Molecular Mechanisms and Precision Biomarkers (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Research on Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Diseases (Deadline: 25 October 2026)
- Synthesis, In Silico Prediction and Antitumor Activity of Nitrogen Heterocycle-Based Drug Development (Deadline: 25 October 2026)
- Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Biologically Active Heterocyclic Compounds (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Innovative Organic Synthesis Approaches in Drug Design and Development (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Raman Spectroscopy as a Tool for Drug Discovery, Development and Biomedical Research (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Modern Drug Discovery: Computational Modeling, Chemical Synthesis, Structure–Activity Relationships, and Experimental Pharmacology (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Cholinesterases—Structure, Mechanism, Function and Drug Discovery (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Treatment and Molecular Mechanisms of Depression (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Pharmacological Treatments for Parasitic Diseases (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Click Chemistry-Aided Drug Discovery (Deadline: 15 November 2026)
- Advances in Structure-Based Drug Design and Small-Molecule Therapeutics (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Peptide-Based Drug Discovery: Innovations and Breakthroughs (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- QSAR and Chemoinformatics in Drug Design and Discovery (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Metal Complexes in Medicinal Chemistry: From Coordination Chemistry to Pharmaceutical Applications (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Mathematical Modeling in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Organochalcogen Derivatives in Medicinal Chemistry (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Parasitic Diseases (Deadline: 25 November 2026)
- Sex Differences in Pharmaceutical Practice: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 27 November 2026)
- Recent Advances in the Discovery and Development of Drugs for Civilization Diseases, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 27 November 2026)
- Applications of In Silico Technologies in Drug Design (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Synthetic Construction of Novel Templates and Chemotypes for the Solving of Problems in Drug Discovery and Development (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Antimicrobial and Anticancer Scaffolds in Medicinal Chemistry (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Design and Synthesis of Compounds with Potential Anti-Inflammatory Activity (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Antidiabetic Agents: New Drug Discovery Insights and Prospects (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Advances in the Treatment of Leukemia, Lymphomas and Plasma Cell Disorders (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Computer-Aided Drug Design and Drug Discovery, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Emerging Computational Approaches in Drug Discovery and Design (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Heterocyclic Chemistry in Modern Drug Development (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Metal-Based Nanoparticles’ Biological Activity and Pharmaceutical Applications, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 December 2026)
- Druggability of Mitochondrial Proteases: Emerging Targets and Therapeutic Opportunities in Cancer and Neurodegeneration (Deadline: 20 December 2026)
- Effects of Drug Abuse and Its Consequences on Health (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Pharmacotherapy of Diabetes: New Developments and Future Perspectives (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Advances in Medicinal Chemistry: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Novel Anticancer Drug Development and Toxicity Reduction Strategies (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Antifungal Therapy Strategies: A Focus on Novel Compounds and Inhibitors (Deadline: 10 January 2027)
- Secondary Metabolites as Drug Leads: Bridging Experimental Discovery and Computational Innovation (Deadline: 15 January 2027)
- Computational and Experimental Strategies for Antiparasitic Drug Discovery (Deadline: 20 January 2027)
- Anti-Fbibrosis Agent Development (Deadline: 20 January 2027)
- Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Small Molecules for the Treatment of Solid Tumors (Deadline: 20 January 2027)
- Green Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles (Deadline: 25 January 2027)
- Design, Synthesis and Structural Optimisation of New Antimicrobial Agents (Deadline: 27 January 2027)
- Structural and Computationally Driven Molecule Design in Drug Discovery: 3rd Edition (Deadline: 29 January 2027)
- Chirality in Drugs (Deadline: 29 January 2027)
- Novel Heterocyclic Compounds as Potential Anti-Inflammatory and/or Anticancer Agents (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Pharmacological Interventions for Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Advanced Three-Dimensional In Vitro Models for Disease Biology and Pharmaceutical Development (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Platform Technologies and Emerging Modalities for Neglected Tropical Disease Therapeutics (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Drug Candidates for the Treatment of Obesity, 3rd Edition (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Eliezer J. Barreiro: Early Drug Discovery: From Target Identification and Validation to Lead Optimization (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Modern Drug Discovery: Design, Synthesis, Computational Modeling and Biological Evaluation of Bioactive Molecules (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Innovative Computational and Experimental Strategies in Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (Deadline: 10 February 2027)
- Advances in Antiparasitic Agents: Discovery, Mechanism of Action, and Targeted Drug Delivery (Deadline: 20 February 2027)
- Therapeutic Applications of Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors (Deadline: 20 February 2027)
- Emerging Metallodrugs and Nanotherapeutics in Neuro-Oncology (Deadline: 25 February 2027)
- Innovative Synthetic Strategies in Drug Discovery (Deadline: 25 February 2027)
- Hybrid and Chimeric Heterocycles: A Promising Approach to Synthesizing Biologically Active Compounds (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Application of Computer Simulation in Drug Design (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
- Small Molecules for Age-Related Diseases (Deadline: 31 March 2027)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
