Recent Advances in the Development of Hybrid Drugs

Dear Colleagues,

Hybrid drug development is a research field that is currently expanding. For a wide community of researchers around the world, the combination of two or more pharmacophores and/or drug-directing moieties in the same molecule is an attractive strategy for the design of new compounds with optimized pharmacodynamic profiles, and has already delivered promising results in the contexts of multidrug-resistant cancers, emerging antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and others.

Molecular hybridization of several active fragments into the same molecular framework offers a unique opportunity to achieve additive and synergistic effects that would not otherwise be possible, hence opening new doors for enhanced drug potency, selectivity and, in some cases, drug susceptibility. As hybridized fragments share the same pharmacokinetic profile, this molecular design approach assures that the required concentrations of each pharmacophore are available near the target(s) at the exact same time—something that is often crucial for optimal results. 

Because of its undeniable potential, more and more researchers are integrating molecular hybridization into their strategic drug development approaches. Hence, this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics welcomes original research articles, communications and review articles dedicated to major advancements, breakthroughs and challenges in the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of organic, inorganic and organometallic hybrid drugs. Medicinal chemists working across all therapeutic areas are encouraged to contribute with research or literature overviews on this topic.

Dr. Tânia S. Morais
Dr. Ana M. de Matos
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 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. 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.