Announcements

Conference: 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery
Date: 14–17 May 2026, Beijing Time
Conference website: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026

This conference is organized by the MDPI journal Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049, IF: 4.2, and CiteScore: 7.4) and will take place in Beijing, China, from 14 to 17 May 2026 (Beijing time).

Conference Chairs:

• Prof. Dr. Xiaoguang Lei, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, China;
• Prof. Dr. Diego Muñoz-Torrero, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Spain.

Topics of interest:
S1. Chemical biology for drug discovery;
S2. AI for drug discovery;
S3. New proximity-based drug modalities;
S4. Natural products in drug discovery;
S5. Biocatalysis for natural product and drug synthesis;
S6. Drug discovery targeting GPCRs and ion channels;
S7. DNA-encoded libraries in drug discovery;
S8. Medicinal chemistry tales.

Important dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 13 March 2026;
Abstract acceptance notification: 27 March 2026;
Early bird registration deadline: 3 April 2026;
Covering author registration deadline: 3 April 2026;
Registration deadline: 14 May 2026.

Guide for authors:
To submit your abstract, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1319.

To register for the event, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026?section=#registration.

For more information, you may refer to the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/MMCS2026.

For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact mmcs2026@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th MMCS: New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery.

Conference: The 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka)
Date: 26–29 March 2026
Location: Osaka, Japan

MDPI will be attending the 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka) as an exhibitor, which will be held from 26 to 29 March 2026, and we welcome researchers from diverse backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

Pharmaceutical sciences are comprehensive sciences that require expertise from a wide range of academic fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, medical sciences, and clinical sciences. In order to overcome the various challenges surrounding pharmaceutical sciences today, cross-disciplinary collaboration beyond traditional boundaries has become increasingly important and will be emphasized and discussed during the 146th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Osaka).

The conference is organized by the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan and chaired by Prof. Takashi Ohshima from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University. The theme is Promoting the Ecosystem in Pharmaceutical Sciences: Future Innovation through Cross-disciplinary Collaboration. This conference will bring together around 5,000 scientists and students to share research advances covering a wide range of scientific topics. The sessions include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Pharmaceutical Chemistry; (2) Pharmaceutical Physics; (3) Pharmaceutical Biology; (4) Pharmaceutical Health Science and Environmental Toxicology; (5) Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences; and (6) Others.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Pharmaceuticals;
• Diseases;
• Pharmacy;
• Applied Biosciences;
• Antibodies;
• Biomedicines;
• Future Pharmacology;
• JPBI;
• JPM;
• Marine Drugs;
• Medicines;
• Pharmaceutics;
• Pharmacoepidemiology.

MDPI is delighted to announce the establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award. Named in honor of Professor Michele Parrinello, the award celebrates his exceptional contributions and his profound impact on the field of computational physical science research.

The award will be presented biennially to distinguished scientists who have made outstanding achievements and contributions in the field of computational physical science—spanning physics, chemistry, and materials science.

About Professor Michele Parrinello

"Do not be afraid of new things. I see it many times when we discuss a new thing that young people are scared to go against the mainstream a little bit, thinking what is going to happen to me and so on. Be confident that what you do is meaningful, and do not be afraid, do not listen too much to what other people have to say.”

——Professor Michele Parrinello

Born in Messina in 1945, he received his degree from the University of Bologna and is currently affiliated with the Italian Institute of Technology. Professor Parrinello is known for his many technical innovations in the field of atomistic simulations and for a wealth of interdisciplinary applications ranging from materials science to chemistry and biology. Together with Roberto Car, he introduced ab initio molecular dynamics, also known as the Car–Parrinello method, marking the beginning of a new era both in the area of electronic structure calculations and in molecular dynamics simulations. He is also known for the Parrinello–Rahman method, which allows crystalline phase transitions to be studied by molecular dynamics. More recently, he has introduced metadynamics for the study of rare events and the calculation of free energies.

For his work, he has been awarded many prizes and honorary degrees. He is a member of numerous academies and learned societies, including the German Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, the British Royal Society, and the Italian Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, which is the major academy in his home country of Italy.

Award Committee

The award committee will be chaired by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, a computational condensed matter physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and professor at the Department of Physics, Fudan University. Professor Xin-Gao Gong will lead a panel of several senior experts in the field to oversee the evaluation and selection process. The Institute for Computational Physical Sciences at Fudan University (Shanghai, China), led by Professor Xin-Gao Gong, will serve as the supporting institute for the award.

"We hope the Michele Parrinello Award will recognize scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of computational condensed matter physics and at the same time set a benchmark for the younger generation, providing clear direction for their pursuit—this is precisely the original intention behind establishing the award."

——Professor Xin-Gao Gong

The first edition of the award was officially launched on 1 November 2025. Nominations will be accepted before the end of March 2026. For further details, please visit mparrinelloaward.org.

About the MDPI Sustainability Foundation and MDPI Awards

The Michele Parrinello Award is part of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing sustainable development through scientific progress and global collaboration. The foundation also oversees the World Sustainability Award, the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award, and the Tu Youyou Award. The establishment of the Michele Parrinello Award will further enrich the existing award portfolio, providing continued and diversified financial support to outstanding professionals across various fields. 

In addition to these foundation-level awards, MDPI journals also recognize outstanding contributions through a range of honors, including Best Paper Awards, Outstanding Reviewer Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Travel Awards, Best PhD Thesis Awards, Editor of Distinction Awards, and others. These initiatives aim to recognize excellence across disciplines and career stages, contributing to the long-term vitality and sustainability of scientific research.

Find more information on awards here.

Pharmaceutics (ISSN: 1999-4923) is proud to announce its role as a sponsor for the 15^th World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology conference. This sponsorship highlights the journal’s commitment to supporting the scholarly community and engaging in critical industry discussions with the public.

The 15^th World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology will be held in Prague, Czech Republic in 2026. The entire spectrum of topics ranging from engineering aspects of the manufacturing process, the portfolio of commercially available excipients enabling formulation of a large variety of medicinal products, the underlying physico-chemical principles and cutting-edge characterization techniques, to potential pitfalls and hurdles to be overcome during product development, manufacturing and characterization will be addressed.

The conference will be held from 23 to 26 March 2026, from Monday (noon) to Thursday (evening). From Tuesday to Thursday, 4 parallel sessions with oral presentations will be held:

• 2 sessions on industry-related topics, presented by distinguished invited speakers, giving overviews on the current state of the art in their respective fields;
• 2 sessions with short talks selected from submitted abstracts, presenting the latest research findings in the broad field of Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology.

During the entire conference, the accompanying exhibition ResearchPharm® provides a cross-disciplinary platform for pharmaceutical scientists working in all fields of drug development in industry, academia and regulatory bodies. This exhibition is steadily growing and offers the possibility to present and learn about the newest trends and products in the area of pharmaceutical ingredients, developing and processing equipment, analytical technologies, medicinal products, medical devices and contract manufacturing.

In addition, young and experienced scientists from academia and industry will present their latest research achievements in the form of poster presentations, allowing for fruitful scientific exchanges with the authors.

We look forward to seeing you at the 15^th World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology.

This Academic Publishing Workshop will be led by MDPI Regional Journal Relations Specialist, Dr. Sally Wu, on “Author Training”. Participants will receive practical advice on essential aspects of writing academic articles. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the academic publishing landscape and how to successfully contribute to it.

Date: 25 February 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. EST

Schedule:

Speakers:

MDPI has surpassed the milestone of 1,000 partners within the Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). The agreements span 59 countries, covering North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Last year alone, more than 150 new libraries and academic institutions joined MDPI’s IOAP. With the expansion of an existing consortium deal in Sweden we welcomed a further 75 partners to the program in January 2026, enabling us to surpass the 1,000-partners milestone.

The IOAP supports affiliated researchers by streamlining submission processes, reducing administrative burdens, and offering discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs). Through IOAP membership, more than 61,300 research articles received APC discounts in 2025, driving greater visibility and accessibility for partner institutions and global research communities alike.

"This milestone marks a significant step towards expanding MDPI’s global impact," said Stefan Tochev, MDPI's CEO. "Reaching 1,000 IOAP partnerships is a true testament to the growing trust and collaboration we’ve built with universities, libraries, and research organizations worldwide. We are proud to lead the way in Open Access publishing, ensuring researchers have the support they need to reach global audiences." "The success of our program is reflected in the growing global demand for Open Science and quality publishing services," said Becky Castellon, MDPI institutional partnerships manager. "Equally, institutions are increasingly seeking Open Access publishing options that support funder and national mandates. Joining the IOAP makes compliance simple."

To commemorate World Cancer Day 2026, MDPI is delighted to introduce the “World Cancer Day 2026 Webinar Series”. Reflecting the global theme “United by Unique,” this series reminds us that each story, discovery, and voice plays a vital role in strengthening the world’s collective fight against cancer.

Kicking off with our February session, this first installment welcomes leading voices in oncology to share impactful insights, raise awareness, and spotlight breakthrough research.

Through this series, we aim to empower the global community with knowledge, inspire collaboration, and support ongoing efforts in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Together, we will honor every patient’s journey, elevate the contributions of researchers, and reinforce the power of collective action in the fight against cancer.

Date: 12 February 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. CET | 12:00 p.m. EST | 1:00 a.m. CST (Asia)
Webinar ID: 899 8080 6135
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available for viewing.

Webinar Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Xiang Xue, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, USA;
• Dr. Federico Pio Fabrizio, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kore University of Enna, Italy;
• Dr. Anis Ahmad, Department of Radiation Oncology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA;
• Dr. Hiroaki Kiyokawa, Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA.

Dr. Zizhao Xu is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Northeastern University, USA, where his research focuses on formulation development and predictive performance evaluation across multiple delivery technologies and modalities, with a particular emphasis on locally acting drug products and nanomedicines. We would like to congratulate Dr. Zizhao Xu on winning the Pharmaceutics 2026 Travel Award.

The following is an interview with Dr. Xu:

1. As the winner of this award, what would you most like to express?
I am deeply grateful to Pharmaceutics for this recognition. This award is both an honor and an encouragement, and it reinforces my commitment to advancing pharmaceutical sciences through impactful, translational research.

2. How did you first become aware of this award, and what inspired you to submit your application?
I learned about the travel award through Pharmaceutics announcements and my PI’s recommendation, and felt it aligned well with my research goals. The opportunity to present my work, engage with the scientific community, and gain feedback from experts motivated me to apply.

3. Could you briefly introduce your primary research focus and share an update on your current progress? Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be the key emerging topics in your field over the next few years?
My research focuses on formulation development and predictive performance evaluation across multiple delivery technologies and modalities, with a particular emphasis on locally acting drug products and nanomedicines. My current research focuses on developing in vitro–based characterization strategies to support the evaluation and approval of generic drug products, thereby advancing regulatory science. Ultimately, this work aims to improve public access to high-quality, safe, and affordable topical rectal and vaginal medications.

4. What significance does this award hold for your research career and your participation in this conference?
This award provides invaluable support for attending the conference and presenting my work to a broader audience. It also serves as strong recognition of my research efforts and helps me build meaningful connections with researchers and industry professionals.

5. In your view, how can academic journals and publishers further support early career researchers and the broader academic community?
Academic journals and publishers can play a meaningful role in supporting early career researchers by lowering barriers to participation in the scholarly community. For example, travel awards and publication fee waivers can make it easier for trainees and junior investigators to share their work at conferences and in high-quality journals, which is critical for career development. In addition, guided peer-review opportunities would be valuable in helping junior scientists develop critical skills in scientific evaluation and scholarly communication. Expanding these initiatives would not only benefit individual researchers but also strengthen the rigor, diversity, and sustainability of the scientific community as a whole.

6. Based on your experience, do you have any specific suggestions for the continued development of Pharmaceutics?
Pharmaceutics could further strengthen its impact by expanding Special Issues focused on emerging technologies, encouraging more interdisciplinary research, and sustaining initiatives such as awards to scientists across different career stages, with particular support for early career investigators, as well as creating avenues for editorial engagement that broaden participation in the journal’s scholarly community.

Dr. Giuseppe Francesco Racaniello is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy, where his research focuses on advanced drug delivery systems, with particular emphasis on 3D printing technologies for personalized medicines. We would like to congratulate Dr. Giuseppe Francesco Racaniello on winning the Pharmaceutics 2026 Travel Award.

The following is an interview with Dr. Racaniello:

1. As the winner of this award, what would you most like to express?
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Pharmaceutics Editorial Board and the Award Committee for this recognition. Receiving this award is both an honor and a strong motivation to continue pursuing high-quality research in pharmaceutical technology. I see it as a recognition not only of my individual work but also of the collaborative efforts of my research group, PhartecoLab, whose support has been fundamental to my scientific development.

2. How did you first become aware of this award, and what inspired you to submit your application?
I became aware of the Pharmaceutics Travel Award through the email communications sent by the journal. What inspired me to apply was the opportunity to showcase my research in the field of pharmaceutical 3D printing and advanced manufacturing technologies. In particular, the fact that this award is specifically designed to support early-career researchers who wish to present and disseminate their work was a strong motivation. I considered it a valuable opportunity to increase the visibility of my research within a highly relevant scientific community.

3. Could you briefly introduce your primary research focus and share an update on your current progress? Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be the key emerging topics in your field over the next few years?
My primary research focus is on advanced drug delivery systems, with particular emphasis on 3D printing technologies for personalized medicines, including direct powder extrusion and pressure-assisted manufacturing. I work on the development of patient-tailored dosage forms such as orodispersible films, solid oral dosage forms, and wound-healing platforms, often integrating polymer science, solid-state characterization, and biopharmaceutical evaluation.
Currently, my work is centered on optimizing formulation design and manufacturing parameters to improve drug release, stability, and patient compliance, especially for thermolabile or poorly soluble compounds. In parallel, I am increasingly focused on the development of personalized pharmaceutical dosage forms that are functionally engineered to be mucoadhesive or site-specific. A significant part of my research also addresses the production of dosage forms for orphan drugs, medicines with limited availability, and pediatric formulations that are currently not available on the pharmaceutical market, with the aim of filling unmet clinical needs through advanced manufacturing technologies.
Looking ahead, I believe that key emerging topics will include personalized and decentralized pharmaceutical manufacturing, the integration of digital health and 3D printing, the use of sustainable and bio-based excipients, and the translation of additive manufacturing technologies into regulated clinical and hospital settings.

4. What significance does this award hold for your research career and your participation in this conference?
This award represents an important milestone in my early research career. It provides tangible support for my participation in the next PBP 2026 conference, facilitating scientific exchange, networking, and discussion with leading experts in the field. Beyond the financial aspect, the award enhances the visibility of my work and reinforces my commitment to pursuing innovative research directions within pharmaceutical sciences.

5. In your view, how can academic journals and publishers further support early career researchers and the broader academic community?
Academic journals and publishers play a crucial role in supporting early career researchers by promoting transparent peer review, offering mentorship-oriented feedback, and providing opportunities for visibility, such as awards, Special Issues, and invited contributions. Initiatives that reduce publication barriers, encourage interdisciplinary research, and support open science practices are also essential to foster innovation and inclusivity within the academic community.

6. Based on your experience, do you have any specific suggestions for the continued development of Pharmaceutics?
Based on my experience, Pharmaceutics could further strengthen its impact by continuing to support cutting-edge topics such as personalized medicine, additive manufacturing, and sustainable pharmaceutical technologies. Expanding thematic Special Issues, enhancing engagement with early career researchers, and promoting high-quality methodological and translational studies would further consolidate the journal’s position as a leading platform in pharmaceutical sciences.

The editorial office of Pharmaceutics would like to extend its sincere gratitude to all reviewers who contributed to the improvement of the journal quality by providing their expert opinion and evaluation of the submitted research.

We appreciate that thorough peer review demands considerable time and intellectual investment from our reviewers. In 2025, Pharmaceutics received 8868 review reports from contributors across 89 countries and territories, demonstrating the breadth of international expertise and scholarly engagement that has strengthened our publication standards.

The reviewers who agreed to have their names published this year are listed below in alphabetical order by first name. The editorial team acknowledges with gratitude all reviewers, named and anonymous alike, for their vital role in maintaining the scholarly standards of Pharmaceutics.