Emerging Technologies and Therapeutic Innovations for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Dear Colleagues

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) comprise a diverse group of infectious and parasitic illnesses that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, often linked to socio-economic disadvantages and limited access to healthcare. This group includes leishmaniasis, malaria, Chagas disease, dengue, chikungunya, soil-transmitted helminthiases, and fungal neglected infections. Despite decades of scientific effort, significant gaps remain in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these conditions, and only a limited number of recent advances have translated into clinical or public health practice.

This Special Issue, “Emerging Technologies and Therapeutic Innovations for Neglected Tropical Diseases,” will highlight groundbreaking research and novel concepts that can transform our approach to NTD control and management. We invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews addressing innovative strategies for treatment, diagnosis, and disease prevention. Topics of interest include the identification of biomarkers, the development of new therapeutic agents, novel drug delivery systems, and personalized or individualized dosing approaches for improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing toxicity.

Particular emphasis will be placed on emerging technologies and multidisciplinary methodologies driving discovery and innovation in NTDs. These include nanotechnology-based formulations, biomaterial-assisted delivery systems, and synthetic biology approaches that enable the precise modulation of immune and pharmacological responses. Cutting-edge vaccine development technologies, such as mRNA and vector-based platforms, epitope mapping, adjuvant design, and thermostable delivery systems, are also transforming the prevention landscape and will be a major focus of this Special Issue.

Furthermore, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is revolutionizing the field. These tools allow for predicting disease outbreaks, optimizing vector control strategies, and analyzing large, complex datasets derived from genomics, proteomics, and epidemiological surveillance. Computational intelligence is also accelerating the drug discovery process, facilitating virtual screening, and identifying repurposing opportunities for existing drugs.

Finally, we encourage studies that adopt environmental and ecological perspectives in line with the One Health concept. Understanding how environmental changes, animal reservoirs, and ecological interactions shape pathogen transmission and resistance can open new avenues for sustainable drug discovery and disease management.

By bridging technological innovation, computational analysis, and ecological understanding, this Special Issue will foster collaboration among researchers and accelerate the development of effective, scalable, and sustainable solutions to combat NTDs worldwide.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Nanotechnology and smart drug delivery systems for NTD treatment;
• Novel therapeutic agents and mechanisms of action;
• Vaccine design, adjuvant systems, and delivery technologies;
• AI and ML applications for outbreak prediction, diagnostics, and drug discovery;
• Identification and validation of biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis;
• Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling in NTDs;
• Drug repurposing and computational screening approaches;
• Environmental and ecological approaches to pathogen control;
• One Health perspectives on NTD transmission and prevention;
• Sustainable bioprospecting and natural product-based drug discovery.

Dr. Sandra Elisa Haas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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