New Horizons in Drug Development Targeting Depression

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 229

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chronic Diseases and Civilization-Related Hazards, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Interests: depression; psychogeriatrics; dementia; suicydology

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Interests: depression; forensic psychiatry; esquetamine; bipolar affective disorder

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatric Outpatient Treatment, Upper Silesian Medical Centre of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Interests: depression; schizophrenia; mood disorders; psychopharmacology

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation in Katowice, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Interests: bipolar affective disorder; depression; psychopharmacology; sexology; anxiety disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled "New Horizons in Drug Development Targeting Depression", will explore the latest advancements and innovations in treating depression through developing novel pharmacological interventions. Depression remains one of the foremost global health challenges, with conventional therapeutic strategies often failing to achieve satisfactory outcomes, particularly in cases of treatment-resistant depression. This Special Issue will focus on emerging molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets that may serve as a foundation for developing more effective pharmacotherapies.

Innovative approaches will be discussed, including interventions targeting the glutamatergic system, epigenetic therapies, and next-generation psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin and MDMA, which hold transformative potential for redefining depression treatment paradigms.

This Special Issue will also encompass integrating advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and microbiome research, in identifying novel drug candidates. Furthermore, this Special Issue will address the personalization of treatment strategies, the integration of pharmacological therapy with psychotherapeutic modalities, and the challenges associated with managing depression in patients with comorbid conditions, particularly neurodevelopmental disorders. Our overarching goal is to present innovative solutions that enhance patient quality of life and improve therapeutic efficacy in managing depression.

Dr. Michał Górski
Dr. Joanna Fojcik
Dr. Agnieszka Koźmin-Burzyńska
Prof. Dr. Marek Krzystanek
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. Pharmaceuticals 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 2900 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

  • treatment-resistant depression
  • novel antidepressants
  • glutamatergic system
  • personalized medicine
  • psychoactive therapies

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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