Metals in Cancer Research: Beyond Platinum Metallodrugs
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editors
Interests: anti-tumor drugs; metal complexes; anti-tumor immunotherapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: anti-tumor drugs; metal complexes; anti-tumor immunotherapy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer remains a formidable global health challenge. For decades, platinum-based drugs have been a cornerstone of metal-based chemotherapy. In addition, the superior platinum drug (Oxaliplatin) significantly induces immunogenic cell death (ICD). Yet their efficacy is often hampered by severe side effects and the development of acquired resistance. This has spurred the scientific community to explore innovative alternatives "beyond platinum." Non-platinum transition metal complexes—including ruthenium, iridium, gold, and others—have emerged as highly promising candidates. These complexes offer unique chemical properties, reduced systemic toxicity, and novel mechanisms of action, such as mitochondrial targeting, photodynamic therapy, and the ability to overcome drug efflux pumps. This Special Issue is dedicated to showcasing the latest advances in the design, synthesis, and application of these next-generation metal-based anticancer agents, highlighting their potential to enable more precise, effective, and safer cancer therapies.
Prof. Dr. Wukun Liu
Dr. Zhongren Xu
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- anticancer drugs
- metal complexes
- non-platinum
- drug resistance
- targeted therapy
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