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Pharmaceutics
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Biotechnology Applications and Innovative Approaches for Cancer Prevention and Treatment...
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Biotechnology Applications and Innovative Approaches for Cancer Prevention and Treatment (BIO-APP)

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Biologics and Biosimilars".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2732

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Luca Vanella

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Guest Editor
Department of Drug and Health Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Interests: biochemistry; antioxidants; oxidative stress; heme oxygenase
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Antonino Mazzaglia

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Guest Editor
CNR-ISMN, URT of Messina c/o Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences of the University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D'Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: cyclodextrin nanomaterials; nanomedicine; drug delivery; nano-photosensitisers; photodynamic therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giuseppe Nocito

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Guest Editor
National Research Council, Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials URT of Messina at Dept. ChiBioFarAm, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; drug delivery; theranostics; biosensing; optical spectroscopy; photochemistry
Dr. Valeria Consoli

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
2. CERNUT—Research Centre on Nutraceuticals and Health Products, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: cancer; biotechnologies; oxidative stress; heme-oxygenase; ferroptosis; biochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Novel approaches within the field of biochemistry are constantly evolving, particularly in their application to biotechnologies and theranostics. Over the next few years, the healthcare landscape is going to be shaped by innovative approaches to new Point-of-Care technologies, including biosensors and lab-on-a-chip devices, which are not only useful for improving basic research studies but can also help to translate this knowledge into clinical research. Biotechnology-based approaches for nanomaterial functionalization have been exploited to obtain nanomaterials with targeted or multitargeted ligands, monoclonal antibodies, and modified nucleic acids or peptides to increase sensitivity and specificity. Stimuli-responsive or functionalized entities tailored to recognize and interact with specific tumor biomarkers, serving both as sensors for early-stage diagnosis and care tools, are currently being investigated and integrated into biosensing platforms. The rational design of integrating drug delivery and biosensing properties into a single nanomaterial could become an innovative solution for cancer prevention and treatment.

This Special Issue serves to highlight and capture the contemporary progress and current landscape of emerging biotechnologies for cancer research. We invite articles on all aspects of applied biochemistry, biotechnologies, nanomaterials, and innovative platforms for both theranostics and therapeutic strategies development to contribute to identifying novel biomarkers for the early and timely diagnosis of cancers.

Prof. Dr. Luca Vanella
Prof. Dr. Antonino Mazzaglia
Dr. Giuseppe Nocito
Dr. Valeria Consoli
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. Pharmaceutics 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

  • applied biochemistry
  • biotechnologies
  • cancer
  • drug delivery
  • multitarget ligands
  • theranostics
  • biomarkers
  • point-of-care testing
  • sensitive nanomaterials

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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14 pages, 4151 KiB  
Article
Emissive Pentacene-Loaded βcyclodextrin-Derived C-Nanodots Exhibit Red-Light Triggered Photothermal Effect
by Ludovica Maugeri, Giorgia Fangano, Ester Butera, Giuseppe Forte, Paolo Giuseppe Bonacci, Nicolò Musso, Francesco Ruffino, Loredana Ferreri, Grazia Maria Letizia Consoli and Salvatore Petralia
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(5), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17050543 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 217
Abstract
Background: The design of multifunctional carbon based nanosystems exhibiting light-triggered hyperthermia, emission, low cytotoxicity, and drug delivery capability is of significant interest in the area of nanomaterials. In this study, we present red-emitting and photothermal carbon nanodots (Cdots-βCD/PTC) obtained by the encapsulation of [...] Read more.
Background: The design of multifunctional carbon based nanosystems exhibiting light-triggered hyperthermia, emission, low cytotoxicity, and drug delivery capability is of significant interest in the area of nanomaterials. In this study, we present red-emitting and photothermal carbon nanodots (Cdots-βCD/PTC) obtained by the encapsulation of hydrophobic pentacene (PTC) within Carbon nanodots (Cdots) synthesized from beta-cyclodextrin (βCD). Methods: The prepared nanostructures were investigated in terms of morphology, size, and optical properties, by absorption and emission optical spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamics light scattering, Z-potential, nuclear magnetic resonance, and infra-red spectroscopy. Molecular modelling simulation was used to investigate the geometry and the stabilization energy of the Cdots-βCD/PTC inclusion complex. Results: The as prepared Cdots-βCD/PTC demonstrated good water dispersibility, green-emission (ϕPL = 1.7%), and photothermal conversion (η = 17.4%) upon red-light excitation (680 nm). Furthermore, Cdots-βCD/PTC low cytotoxicity in the range 0.008 μg–0.8 μg and good interaction with albumin protein (KSV = 2.78 ± 0.28 mL mg−1) were demonstrated. Molecular simulation analysis revealed the formation of the inclusion complex with an energy of −5.32 kcal mol−1, where PTC is orthogonally oriented in the βCD cavity. Conclusions: The results presented in this work highlight the potential of Cdots-βCD/PTC as a novel versatile nanosystem for biomedical applications, such as bioimaging and site-specific photothermal treatment of cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Applications and Innovative Approaches for Cancer Prevention and Treatment (BIO-APP))
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22 pages, 6178 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Cell Viability in Drug Therapy: IC50 and Other New Time-Independent Indices for Evaluating Chemotherapy Efficacy
by Marta Sánchez-Díez, Paula Romero-Jiménez, Nicolás Alegría-Aravena, Clara E. Gavira-O’Neill, Elena Vicente-García, Josefa Quiroz-Troncoso, Raquel González-Martos, Carmen Ramírez-Castillejo and Juan Manuel Pastor
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(2), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17020247 - 13 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Cell viability assays play a crucial role in cancer research and the development of effective treatments. Evaluating the efficacy of conventional treatments across different tumor profiles is essential for understanding patient resistance to chemotherapy and relapse. The IC50 index has been [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Cell viability assays play a crucial role in cancer research and the development of effective treatments. Evaluating the efficacy of conventional treatments across different tumor profiles is essential for understanding patient resistance to chemotherapy and relapse. The IC50 index has been commonly used as a guide in these assays. The idea behind the IC50 index is to compare cell proliferation under treatment with respect to a control population exposed to the same treatment. The index requires normalization to a control and is time dependent. These aspects are disadvantages, as small variations yield different results. In this article, we propose a new method to analyze cell viability assays. Methods: This method involves calculating the effective growth rate for both control (untreated) cells and cells exposed to a range of drug doses for short times, during which exponential proliferation can be assumed. The concentration dependence of the effective growth rate gives a real estimate of the treatment on cell proliferation. A curve fit of the effective growth rate related to concentration yields the concentration corresponding to a given effective growth rate. Results: We use this estimation to calculate the IC50 index and introduce two new parameters (ICr0 and ICrmed) to compare treatment efficacy under different culture conditions or cell lines. Conclusions: In summary, this study presents a new method to analyze cell viability assays and introduces two more precise parameters, improving the comparison and evaluation of efficacy under different conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Applications and Innovative Approaches for Cancer Prevention and Treatment (BIO-APP))
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