Cell Death, Mitochondrial Metabolism and Cancer Immunotherapy
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 284
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mitochondria are central hubs that integrate metabolic cues, stress signals, and cell-death pathways to determine cancer cell fate and shape the tumor microenvironment. In parallel, advances in cancer immunotherapy have revealed that the way tumor cells die—and how their metabolic state is wired at the time of death—can critically influence antitumor immunity, therapeutic responses, and resistance. This Special Issue, “Cell Death, Mitochondrial Metabolism and Cancer Immunotherapy,” aims to highlight cutting-edge research at the intersection of these rapidly evolving fields.
We welcome studies that dissect how regulated cell-death programs (such as apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, cuproptosis, and other emerging modalities) are controlled by mitochondrial metabolism, tumor suppressor pathways, and oncogenic signaling. Particular interest will be given to work that links these processes to the immune landscape of tumors, including immunogenic cell death, antigen presentation, cytokine and DAMP release, and modulation of innate and adaptive immune cells.
The Special Issue seeks both mechanistic and translational contributions, encompassing in vitro systems, in vivo models, multi-omics approaches, and early clinical or biomarker-driven studies. Articles exploring strategies to therapeutically exploit mitochondrial vulnerabilities or death pathways to enhance responses to immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell therapies, radiotherapy, or targeted agents are especially encouraged. By integrating cell death biology, mitochondrial metabolism, tumor suppression, and immunotherapy, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive framework for developing next-generation cancer treatments.
Dr. Guang Lei
Guest Editor
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- regulated cell death
- mitochondrial metabolism
- cancer metabolism
- cancer immunotherapy
- tumor suppressor pathways
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