Non-Natural Amino Acids in Drug Design

Dear Colleagues,

Synthesis, characterization, and biological application of non-natural amino acids and their derivatives is a scientific topic related to the study and development of new therapeutic drugs for future application in medicine. The creation of drugs without toxicity and with fewer side effects is a major problem whose solution is a challenge for scientists from all over the world. This also motivates the scientists to investigate the possibilities for the synthesis or study of new unusual amino acids and their derivatives believed to possess a wide range of biological activity. It is known that the introduction of unnatural amino acids into peptides significantly improves the resistance of the peptide to enzymatic hydrolysis and biological activity. The handling of the amino acidic scaffold can be regarded as a potentially powerful tool in both pharmaceuticals and medicinal chemistry investigations and the development of new drug candidates. For example, the impact of non-natural amino acids incorporation can be highly useful in improving the stability, potency, bioavailability, and others properties of peptide-based therapies. Aminophosphonic acids are considered to be an important class of amino acid mimetics, and can also be assigned to non-natural amino acids. They have impacted a position of eminence in the field of research works aimed at discovery, understanding, and modification of physiological processes in living organisms.

This Special Issue will involve research manuscripts, reviews, as well as short commentaries on topics related to non-natural amino acids and their derivatives in drug design, both in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry—from synthesis and characterization to their application as potential therapeutics. It can cover reports from chemistry to biology in the field of unnatural amino acids and peptide therapeutics containing unusual amino acids as well as their medicinal application. The exact mechanism of action of non-proteinogenic amino acids and their derivatives on a number of biological processes and activities performed in living organisms has not yet been fully elucidated. This Special Issue has the aim to summarize the state-of-the-art and the latest findings published in the non-natural amino acids in the drug design field, as well as to elucidate future directions.

Dr. Petar Todorov
Guest Editor

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