Conference: The 10th Wuhan International Symposium on Modern Virology
Date: 27–29 October 2023
Location: Wuhan, China

MDPI will be attending the 10th Wuhan International Symposium on Modern Virology as an exhibitor, and we welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

The 10th Wuhan International Symposium on Modern Virology, organized by the State Key Laboratory of Virology (Wuhan University and Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), is scheduled to be held from 27 to 29 October 2023, in Wuhan, China. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the main scientific problems and research hotspots of virology, exchange the latest research results and research ideas, display new methods, technologies, and products for diagnosis and prevention of viral diseases, promote communication and cooperation among scholars in China as well as with international counterparts, and promote the development of virology research in China.

Since 2004, the Wuhan International Symposium on Modern Virology has been successfully held nine times every two years, and it has become a forward-looking, innovative, and influential academic activity in the field of virology in China and an important platform for academic exchange.

The conference will invite well-known experts and scholars in the field of virology to attend and provide reports. The setting of the conference includes communication forms such as congress reports, session reports, and poster presentations, and the working language of the conference is Chinese or English.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Viruses;
• Pathogens;
• Vaccines;
• Zoonotic Diseases.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://mm.sciconf.cn/cn/web/index/18668.

“Molecular Basis of Epstein–Barr Virus Latency Establishment and Lytic Reactivation”
by Takayuki Murata, Atsuko Sugimoto, Tomoki Inagaki, Yusuke Yanagi, Takahiro Watanabe, Yoshitaka Sato and Hiroshi Kimura
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2344; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122344
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/12/2344

“Site-Specific O-Glycosylation Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Produced in Insect and Human Cells”
by Ieva Bagdonaite, Andrew J. Thompson, Xiaoning Wang, Max Søgaard, Cyrielle Fougeroux, Martin Frank, Jolene K. Diedrich, John R. Yates III, Ali Salanti, Sergey Y. Vakhrushev et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040551
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/551

“HIV-1 Entry and Membrane Fusion Inhibitors”
by Tianshu Xiao, Yongfei Cai and Bing Chen
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050735
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/735

“Plant Viruses: From Targets to Tools for CRISPR”
by Carla M. R. Varanda, Maria do Rosário Félix, Maria Doroteia Campos, Mariana Patanita and Patrick Materatski
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010141
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/1/141

“Recent Advances in Bunyavirus Glycoprotein Research: Precursor Processing, Receptor Binding and Structure”
by Ruben J. G. Hulswit, Guido C. Paesen, Thomas A. Bowden and Xiaohong Shi
Viruses 2021, 13(2), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020353
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/353

“Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinin and Other Pathogen Glycoprotein Interactions with NK Cell Natural Cytotoxicity Receptors NKp46, NKp44, and NKp30”
by Jasmina M. Luczo, Sydney L. Ronzulli and Stephen M. Tompkins
Viruses 2021, 13(2), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020156
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/156

MDPI is committed to supporting the academic community, nurturing talent and advancing science. Awards are an important part of the research landscape and play a vital role in helping academics gain recognition, especially young researchers as they embark on new research avenues.

In 2022, our journals presented a total number of 394 Awards, including Travel Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Best PhD Thesis Awards, Best Paper Awards, and Outstanding Reviewer Awards, with several winners announced for some of the awards. The total prize sum amounted to just under 580,000 Swiss francs (CHF), or approximately 650,000 US dollars. Overall, more than 720 scholars were awarded.

The majority of the awards were dedicated to young researchers in relatively early stages of their careers. This encompassed 66 of the afore-mentioned Travel Awards, 60 Young Investigator Awards, supporting research projects and conference attendance, as well as 51 Best PhD Thesis Awards. Additionally, 113 Best Paper Awards were given by our journals. The selection committees were entrusted with identifying the most impactful and novel research and review articles published in their journal within a given year.

MDPI will continue its support and recognition for the academic community moving forward, sponsoring new awards across disciplines. To learn more about all the awardees and their research projects in your field of study, please visit the following pages:

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

“Illuminating the Plant Rhabdovirus Landscape through Metatranscriptomics Data”
by Nicolás Bejerman, Ralf G. Dietzgen and Humberto Debat
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071304
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1304

“ViralRecall—A Flexible Command-Line Tool for the Detection of Giant Virus Signatures in ‘Omic Data”
by Frank O. Aylward and Mohammad Moniruzzaman
Viruses 2021, 13(2), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020150
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/150

“Probing into the Effects of Grapevine Leafroll-Associated Viruses on the Physiology, Fruit Quality and Gene Expression of Grapes”
by Yashu Song, Robert H. Hanner and Baozhong Meng
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 593; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040593
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/593

“Metagenomic Studies of Viruses in Weeds and Wild Plants: A Powerful Approach to Characterise Variable Virus Communities”
by Beata Hasiów-Jaroszewska, Dieke Boezen and Mark P. Zwart
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1939; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101939
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1939

“High-Throughput Sequencing Indicates Novel Varicosavirus, Emaravirus, and Deltapartitivirus Infections in Vitis coignetiae”
by Tomoyuki Nabeshima and Junya Abe
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050827
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/827

“Quality Assessment and Validation of High-Throughput Sequencing for Grapevine Virus Diagnostics”
by Nourolah Soltani, Kristian A. Stevens, Vicki Klaassen, Min-Sook Hwang, Deborah A. Golino and Maher Al Rwahnih
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061130
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6/1130

“Metagenomics Analysis of the Wheat Virome Identifies Novel Plant and Fungal-Associated Viral Sequences”
by Carla Dizon Redila, Ved Prakash and Shahideh Nouri
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122457
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/12/2457

“Factors Determining Transmission of Persistent Viruses by Bemisia tabaci and Emergence of New Virus–Vector Relationships”
by Saptarshi Ghosh and Murad Ghanim
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1808; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091808
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1808

“Integrating High throughput Sequencing into Survey Design Reveals Turnip Yellows Virus and Soybean Dwarf Virus in Pea (Pisum Sativum) in the United Kingdom”
by Aimee R. Fowkes, Sam McGreig, Hollie Pufal, Shona Duffy, Becky Howard, Ian P. Adams, Roy Macarthur, Rebecca Weekes and Adrian Fox
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2530; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122530
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/12/2530

“Multiple Viral Infections Detected in Phytophthora condilina by Total and Small RNA Sequencing”
by Leticia Botella and Thomas Jung
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040620
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/620

“African Swine Fever in Wild Boar in Europe—A Review”
by Carola Sauter-Louis, Franz J. Conraths, Carolina Probst, Ulrike Blohm, Katja Schulz, Julia Sehl, Melina Fischer, Jan Hendrik Forth, Laura Zani, Klaus Depner et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1717; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091717
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1717

“ASFV-G-∆I177L as an Effective Oral Nasal Vaccine against the Eurasia Strain of Africa Swine Fever”
by Manuel V. Borca, Elizabeth Ramirez-Medina, Ediane Silva, Elizabeth Vuono, Ayushi Rai, Sarah Pruitt, Nallely Espinoza, Lauro Velazquez-Salinas, Cyril G. Gay and Douglas P. Gladue
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050765
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/765

“Evaluation of the Safety Profile of the ASFV Vaccine Candidate ASFV-G-ΔI177L”
by Xuan Hanh Tran, Le Thi Thu Phuong, Nguyen Quang Huy, Do Thanh Thuy, Van Dung Nguyen, Pham Hào Quang, Quách Võ Ngôn, Ayushi Rai, Cyril G. Gay, Douglas Paul Gladue et al.
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 896; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14050896
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/896

“Deletion of the L7L-L11L Genes Attenuates ASFV and Induces Protection against Homologous Challenge”
by Jingyuan Zhang, Yanyan Zhang, Teng Chen, Jinjin Yang, Huixian Yue, Lidong Wang, Xintao Zhou, Yu Qi, Xun Han, Junnan Ke et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(2), 255; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020255
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/255

“African Swine Fever Virus CD2v Protein Induces β-Interferon Expression and Apoptosis in Swine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells”
by Sabal Chaulagain, Gustavo A. Delhon, Sushil Khatiwada and Daniel L. Rock
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1480; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081480
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/8/1480

“Structures and Functional Diversities of ASFV Proteins”
by Guoguo Wang, Mengjia Xie, Wei Wu and Zhongzhou Chen
Viruses 2021, 13(11), 2124; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13112124
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/11/2124

“African Swine Fever Virus Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme Is an Immunomodulator Targeting NF-κB Activation”
by Lucía Barrado-Gil, Ana del Puerto, Inmaculada Galindo, Miguel Ángel Cuesta-Geijo, Isabel García-Dorival, Carlos Maluquer de Motes and Covadonga Alonso
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061160
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6/1160

“Prevention and Control Strategies of African Swine Fever and Progress on Pig Farm Repopulation in China”
by Yuanjia Liu, Xinheng Zhang, Wenbao Qi, Yaozhi Yang, Zexin Liu, Tongqing An, Xiuhong Wu and Jianxin Chen
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2552; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122552
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/12/2552

“African Swine Fever Virus as a Difficult Opponent in the Fight for a Vaccine—Current Data”
by Hanna Turlewicz-Podbielska, Anna Kuriga, Rafał Niemyjski, Grzegorz Tarasiuk and Małgorzata Pomorska-Mól
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071212
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1212

“African Swine Fever and Its Epidemiological Course in Lithuanian Wild Boar”
by Katja Schulz, Marius Masiulis, Christoph Staubach, Alvydas Malakauskas, Gediminas Pridotkas, Franz J. Conraths and Carola Sauter-Louis
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071276
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1276

“HBV-Integration Studies in the Clinic: Role in the Natural History of Infection”
by Teresa Pollicino and Giuseppe Caminiti
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030368
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/368

“Mechanism of Hepatitis B Virus cccDNA Formation”
by Lei Wei and Alexander Ploss
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1463; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081463
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/8/1463

“Hepatitis A: Epidemiology, High-Risk Groups, Prevention and Research on Antiviral Treatment”
by Marion Migueres, Sébastien Lhomme and Jacques Izopet
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1900; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101900
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1900

“Current Trend in Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B”
by Rong-Nan Chien and Yun-Fan Liaw
Viruses 2022, 14(2), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14020434
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/2/434

“Hepatitis B Virus DNA Integration: In Vitro Models for Investigating Viral Pathogenesis and Persistence”
by Thomas Tu, Henrik Zhang and Stephan Urban
Viruses 2021, 13(2), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020180
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/180

“Animal Models of Hepatitis B Virus Infection–Success, Challenges, and Future Directions”
by Yongzhen Liu, Stephanie Maya and Alexander Ploss
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 777; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050777
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/777

“Novel Biomarkers of Hepatitis B Virus and Their Use in Chronic Hepatitis B Patient Management”
by Alicia Vachon and Carla Osiowy
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13060951
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6/951

“Ectopic Expression of Genotype 1 Hepatitis E Virus ORF4 Increases Genotype 3 HEV Viral Replication in Cell Culture”
by Kush K. Yadav, Patricia A. Boley, Zachary Fritts and Scott P. Kenney
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010075
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/1/75

“A Review on Extrahepatic Manifestations of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection and the Impact of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy”
by Cesare Mazzaro, Luca Quartuccio, Luigi Elio Adinolfi, Dario Roccatello, Gabriele Pozzato, Riccardo Nevola, Maurizio Tonizzo, Stefano Gitto, Pietro Andreone and Valter Gattei
Viruses 2021, 13(11), 2249; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13112249
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/11/2249

“Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma”
by Giacomo Emanuele Maria Rizzo, Giuseppe Cabibbo and Antonio Craxì
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14050986
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/986

MDPI’s Young Investigator Awards recognize promising junior researchers, acknowledge their contributions, and enhance communication among scientists. We are proud to present the winners for the year 2022 in biology and life sciences. The winners were selected by the journals’ Award Evaluation Committee.

We warmly congratulate the awarded young investigators for their outstanding contributions. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agriculture:

• Thomas Hartinger, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria

Agronomy:

• Leontina Lipan, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain

Animals:

• Daniel Stec, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

Brain Sciences:

• Dibyadeep Datta, Yale Medical School, USA
• Giacomo Valle, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Morgan H. James, Rutgers University, USA

Foods:

• Xiaonan Lu, McGill University, Canada

Genes:

• Alfredo Iacoangeli, King's College London, UK
• Elisa De Franco, University of Exeter, UK
• Riccardo Pecori, German Cancer Research Center, Germany
• Vanessa Silva, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal

Horticulturae:

• Massimiliano Renna, University of Bari Aldo Moro at Bari, Italy

Insects:

• Adam G. Dolezal, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States

Microorganisms:

• Carla Rodrigues, Institut Pasteur, France
• Lorena Rodriguez-Rubio, University of Barcelona, Spain
• Kevin Solomon, University of Delaware, USA

Nutrients:

• Colleen Deane, University of Southampton, UK

Toxins:

• Paz Otero Fuertes, University of Vigo, Spain

Pathogens:

• Marta Giovanetti, National Reference Laboratory of Flavivirus in the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil
• Carrie M. Long, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), USA

Vaccines:

• Carina Joe, University of Oxford, UK

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2022 Travel Awards in biology and life sciences for their outstanding presentations.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the 2022 Travel Awards and wish them the greatest success in their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Brain Sciences:

• Liloia Donato, University of Turin, Italy
• Roberta Bettoni, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy

Diversity:

• Vanessa Silva, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal

IJMS:

• Carlo Matera, University of Milan, Italy
• Elisabetta Coppi, University of Florence, Italy
• Ilaria Tonazzini, Nanoscience Institute—National Research Council (CNR) @ NEST in Pisa, Italy

MPs:

• Pere Catala, University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands

Sports:

• Angela Blasimann, University of Antwerp, Belgium
• Angelo Sabag, Western Sydney University, Australia

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when generously dedicating their time to reviewing manuscripts, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer review process.

We are proud to recognize the winners for the year 2022 in biology and life sciences for their outstanding contributions, among extensive competition, by presenting them with an Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the winners on their achievements. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agronomy:

• Ewa Ropelewska, The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Poland
• Marek Rašovský, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia
• Prakash Jha, Kansas State University, USA
• Vasileios Greveniotis, Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Greece

Biology:

• Alberto Collareta, University of Pisa, Italy
• Francisco Curate, University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Gianpiero Greco, University of Study of Bari, Italy
• Luca Poli, University of Study of Bari, Italy
• Shaohua Chen, South China Agricultural University, China

Brain Sciences:

• Chong Chen, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Children:

• Marco Sapienza, University of Catania, Italy
• Sabina Barrios-Fernández, University of Extremadura, Spain

Diversity:

• Corrado Battisti, Torre Flavia LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) Station, Italy
• Daniel Stec, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Emilia Grzędzicka, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Igor Zelnik, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Endocrines:

• Eva S. Liu, ¹Harvard Medical School, USA ²Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA

Fermentation:

• Aleksandra Szydlowska, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), Poland
• Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, Al-Azhar University, Egypt

Fishes:

• Andrew G. Jeffs, University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Mohamed Samy-Kamal, Universitat d'Alacant, Spain

Foods:

• Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
• Marzena Włodarczyk-Stasiak, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland
• Minaxi Sharma, Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut-Condorcet, Belgium
• Viviani Ruffo de Oliveira, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil

Genes:

• Federico Manuel Giorgi, University of Bologna, Italy
• Jan Bocianowski, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland
• Magdalena Mroczek, Center for Cardiovascular Genetics and Gene Diagnostics, Switzerland

IJMS:

• Keigi Fujiwara, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
• Tomasz W. Kaminski, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Takujiro Homma, Yamagata University, Japan
• William Bryan Terzaghi, Wilkes University, United States
• Zong-jie Cui, Beijing Normal University, China

Insects:

• Abraão Almeida Santos, University of Florida, USA
• Agata Kaczmarek, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Miguel A. García-Martínez, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico

Life:

• Andrei S. Rodin, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, USA
• Kazuhiko Kotani, Jichi Medical University, Japan

Metabolites:

• Jianing Mi, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
• Nguyen Phuoc Long, Inje University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea
• Xian Luo, University of Alberta, Canada

Pathogens:

• Guillaume Fiches, Ohio State University, USA
• Jianxuan Wu, Gilead Sciences, USA
• Tomasz M. Karpiński, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland

Plants:

• Alicia Ayerdi Gotor, Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, France
• Andrea Mastinu, University of Brescia, Italy
• Edyta Paczos-Grzeda, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland
• Narayan Bhusal, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
• Mohsen Hesami, University of Guelph, Canada

Toxins:

• Christian Müller, University of Greifswald, Germany
• Margarita Fernández-Tejedor, IRTA, Spain

Vaccines:

• Christian Napoli, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy
• Federico Marchesi, University of Parma, Italy
• Roger E. Thomas, University of Calgary, Canada

Veterinary Sciences:

• Fun-In Wang, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
• Valeria Grieco, University of Milan, Italy

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

MDPI’s Best PhD Thesis Awards are presented to recognize the young scholars who are judged to have completed the most outstanding PhD thesis in their field of research and to encourage them to continue their outstanding work and further contributions to their field.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the 2022 Best PhD Thesis Awards and wish them success in their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Brain Sciences:

• “CYP2D in the Brain Alters Response to Drugs and Neurotoxins”
  by Marlaina R. Stocco, University of California, USA
• “Neural Encoding of Prior Experience in Sensorimotor Behavior”
  by Nicolas Meirhaeghe, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, France

• “Perinatal Stem Cell: Epigenetic, Biological and Differentiative Characteristics”
  by Giulia Gaggi, University "G.D'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy

Genes:

• “Uncovering the Genetic Variation Involved in Asthma Exacerbations through Multiple Genomic Approaches”
  by Esther Herrera Luis, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain

Veterinary Sciences:

• “Development of Novel Tools for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance in Complex Microbial Communities and Their Application to Improving Our Stewardship of Antimicrobials in Livestock”
  by Ashenafi Feyisa Beyi, Iowa State University, United States

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation.

We are honored to present the winners for the year 2022 in biology and life sciences, who were selected amongst extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agronomy:

• “From Smart Farming towards Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Crop Data Management”
  by Verónica Saiz-Rubio and Francisco Rovira-Más
  Agronomy 2020, 10(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020207

• “Comparison of Biochemical, Anatomical, Morphological, and Physiological Responses to Salinity Stress in Wheat and Barley Genotypes Deferring in Salinity Tolerance”
  by Muhammad Zeeshan, Meiqin Lu, Shafaque Sehar, Paul Holford and Feibo Wu
  Agronomy 2020, 10(1), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10010127

• “The Use of a Plant-Based Biostimulant Improves Plant Performances and Fruit Quality in Tomato Plants Grown at Elevated Temperatures”
  by Silvana Francesca Carmen Arena, Bruno Hay Mele, Carlo Schettini, Patrizia Ambrosino, Amalia Barone and Maria Manuela Rigano
  Agronomy 2020, 10(3), https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030363

• “The Management of Agricultural Waste Biomass in the Framework of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for Greenhouse Agriculture in Southeast Spain”
  by Mónica Duque-Acevedo, Luis J. Belmonte-Ureña, José A. Plaza-Úbeda and Francisco Camacho-Ferre
  Agronomy 2020, 10(4), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040489

Biology:

• “Apoptotic Bodies: Particular Extracellular Vesicles Involved in Intercellular Communication”
  by Michela Battistelli and Elisabetta Falcieri
  Biology 2020, 9(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9010021

• “Vegetation and Environmental Changes on Non-Reclaimed Spoil Heaps in Southern Poland”
  by Oimahmad Rahmonov, Robert Krzysztofik, Dorota Środek and Justyna Smolarek-Lach
  Biology 2020, 9(7), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9070164

• “Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 Signaling in Acute Inflammation and Neural Differentiation Induced by Traumatic Brain Injury”
  by Roberta Fusco, Enrico Gugliandolo, Rosalba Siracusa, Maria Scuto, Marika Cordaro, Ramona D’Amico, Maurizio Evangelista, Angelo Peli, Alessio Filippo Peritore, Daniela Impellizzeri et al.
  Biology 2020, 9(9), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9090238

Brain Sciences:

• “Cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk: A Meta-Meta-Analysis”
  by Olalla Sáiz-Vazquez, Alicia Puente-Martínez, Silvia Ubillos-Landa, Joaquín Pacheco-Bonrostro and Javier Santabárbara
  Brain Sci. 2020, 10(6), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060386

• “Psychosocial and Behavioral Impact of COVID-19 in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Online Parent Survey”
  by Marco Colizzi, Elena Sironi, Federico Antonini, Marco Luigi Ciceri, Chiara Bovo and Leonardo Zoccante
  Brain Sci. 2020, 10(6), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060341

Diversity:

• “More Than a Functional Group: Diversity within the Legume–Rhizobia Mutualism and Its Relationship with Ecosystem Function”
  by Benton N. Taylor, Ellen L. Simms and Kimberly J. Komatsu
  Diversity 2020, 12(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020050

• “A Common Approach to the Conservation of Threatened Island Vascular Plants: First Results in the Mediterranean Basin”
  by Giuseppe Fenu, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Charalambos S. Christodoulou, Donatella Cogoni, Christini Fournaraki, Giusso del Galdo Gian Pietro, Panagiota Gotsiou, Angelos Kyratzis, Carole Piazza, Magdalena Vicens et al.
  Diversity 2020, 12(4), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040157

• “Plant Diversity Patterns and Conservation Implications under Climate-Change Scenarios in the Mediterranean: The Case of Crete (Aegean, Greece)”
  by Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Ioannis P. Kokkoris, Maria Panitsa, Panayiotis Trigas, Arne Strid and Panayotis Dimopoulos
  Diversity 2020, 12(7), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12070270

• “Conserving the Diversity of Ecological Interactions: The Role of Two Threatened Macaw Species as Legitimate Dispersers of ‘Megafaunal’ Fruits”
  by José L. Tella, Fernando Hiraldo, Erica Pacífico, José A. Díaz-Luque, Francisco V. Dénes, Fernanda M. Fontoura, Neiva Guedes and Guillermo Blanco
  Diversity 2020, 12(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020045

Genes:    

• “Genomics in Bacterial Taxonomy: Impact on the Genus Pseudomonas”
  by Jorge Lalucat, Magdalena Mulet, Margarita Gomila and Elena García-Valdés
  Genes 2020, 11(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11020139

• “Histone Deacetylases (HDACs): Evolution, Specificity, Role in Transcriptional Complexes, and Pharmacological Actionability”
  by Giorgio Milazzo, Daniele Mercatelli, Giulia Di Muzio, Luca Triboli, Piergiuseppe De Rosa, Giovanni Perini and Federico M. Giorgi
  Genes 2020, 11(5), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11050556

• “COVID-19 and Genetic Variants of Protein Involved in the SARS-CoV-2 Entry into the Host Cells”
  by Andrea Latini, Emanuele Agolini, Antonio Novelli, Paola Borgiani, Rosalinda Giannini, Paolo Gravina, Andrea Smarrazzo, Mario Dauri, Massimo Andreoni, Paola Rogliani et al.
  Genes 2020, 11(9), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11091010

• “Clustered DNA Double-Strand Breaks: Biological Effects and Relevance to Cancer Radiotherapy”
  by Jac A. Nickoloff, Neelam Sharma and Lynn Taylor
  Genes 2020, 11(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11010099

• “Inhibition of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Ameliorates Renal Fibrosis by Mitigating DPP-4 Level and Restoring Antifibrotic MicroRNAs”
  by Swayam Prakash Srivastava, Julie E. Goodwin, Keizo Kanasaki and Daisuke Koya
  Genes 2020, 11(2), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11020211

• “Regulation of Ergosterol Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
  by Tania Jordá and Sergi Puig
  Genes 2020, 11(7), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11070795

IJMS:     

• “Laccase Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution”
  by Grzegorz Janusz, Anna Pawlik, Urszula Świderska-Burek, Jolanta Polak, Justyna Sulej, Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka and Andrzej Paszczyński
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(3), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030966

• “Lysosomal Exocytosis, Exosome Release and Secretory Autophagy: The Autophagic- and Endo-Lysosomal Systems Go Extracellular”
  by Sandra Buratta, Brunella Tancini, Krizia Sagini, Federica Delo, Elisabetta Chiaradia, Lorena Urbanelli and Carla Emiliani
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(7), 2576; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21072576

• “Recent Advances in Lipopolysaccharide Recognition Systems”
  by Lalita Mazgaeen and Prajwal Gurung
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(2), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21020379

• “Redox Interactions of Vitamin C and Iron: Inhibition of the Pro-Oxidant Activity by Deferiprone”
  by Viktor A. Timoshnikov, Tatyana V. Kobzeva, Nikolay E. Polyakov and George J. Kontoghiorghes
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(11), 3967; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21113967

• “Modulation of Pro-Oxidant and Pro-Inflammatory Activities of M1 Macrophages by the Natural Dipeptide Carnosine”
  by Claudia G. Fresta, Annamaria Fidilio, Giacomo Lazzarino, Nicolò Musso, Margherita Grasso, Sara Merlo, Angela M. Amorini, Claudio Bucolo, Barbara Tavazzi, Giuseppe Lazzarino et al.
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(3), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030776

• “SAAMBE-3D: Predicting Effect of Mutations on Protein–Protein Interactions”
  by Swagata Pahari, Gen Li, Adithya Krishna Murthy, Siqi Liang, Robert Fragoza, Haiyuan Yu and Emil Alexov
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(7), 2563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21072563

Insects:  

• “Diversity and Global Distribution of Viruses of the Western Honey Bee, Apis mellifera”
  by Alexis Beaurepaire, Niels Piot, Vincent Doublet, Karina Antunez, Ewan Campbell, Panuwan Chantawannakul, Nor Chejanovsky, Anna Gajda, Matthew Heerman and Delphine Panziera
  Insects 2020, 11(4), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040239

• “Soil Health and Arthropods: From Complex System to Worthwhile Investigation”
  by Cristina Menta and Sara Remelli
  Insects 2020, 11(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11010054

• “Influence of Temperature on Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Tables for a Minnesota-Acclimated Population of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)”
  by Byju N. Govindan and William D. Hutchison
  Insects 2020, 11(2), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11020108

Life:

• “Characterization of Resistance in Gram-Negative Urinary Isolates Using Existing and Novel Indicators of Clinical Relevance: A 10-Year Data Analysis”
  by Márió Gajdács, Zoltán Bátori, Marianna Ábrók, Andrea Lázár and Katalin Burián
  Life 2020, 10(2), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10020016

• “Neuroprotection or Neurotoxicity of Illicit Drugs on Parkinson’s Disease”
  by Carla Ferreira, Catarina Almeida, Sandra Tenreiro and Alexandre Quintas
  Life 2020, 10(6), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10060086

Metabolites:          

• “Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors Targeting Metabolism and Tumor Microenvironment”
  by Andrea Angeli, Fabrizio Carta, Alessio Nocentini, Jean-Yves Winum, Raivis Zalubovskis, Atilla Akdemir, Valentina Onnis, Wagdy M. Eldehna, Clemente Capasso, Giuseppina De Simone et al.
  Metabolites 2020, 10(10), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10100412

• “MetaboAnalystR 3.0: Toward an Optimized Workflow for Global Metabolomics”
  by Zhiqiang Pang, Jasmine Chong, Shuzhao Li and Jianguo Xia
  Metabolites 2020, 10(5), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10050186

• “Tryptophan Metabolism, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Patients with Neurovascular Disease”
  by Martin Hajsl, Alzbeta Hlavackova, Karolina Broulikova, Martin Sramek, Martin Maly, Jan E. Dyr and Jiri Suttnar
  Metabolites 2020, 10(5), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10050208

MPs:

• “Production and Purification of Artificial Circular RNA Sponges for Application in Molecular Biology and Medicine”
  by Janina Breuer and Oliver Rossbach
  Methods Protoc. 2020, 3(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/mps3020042

Pathogens:

• “Effectiveness of Chemical Compounds Used against African Swine Fever Virus in Commercial Available Disinfectants”
  by Małgorzata Juszkiewicz, Marek Walczak, Natalia Mazur-Panasiuk and Grzegorz Woźniakowski
  Pathogens 2020, 9(11), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9110878

• “Betanodavirus and VER Disease: A 30-year Research Review”
  by Isabel Bandín and Sandra Souto
  Pathogens 2020, 9(2), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9020106

• “The Bradyzoite: A Key Developmental Stage for the Persistence and Pathogenesis of Toxoplasmosis”
  by Aude Cerutti, Nicolas Blanchard and Sébastien Besteiro
  Pathogens 2020, 9(3), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9030234

• “Understanding Flavivirus Capsid Protein Functions: The Tip of the Iceberg”
  by Stephanea Sotcheff and Andrew Routh
  Pathogens 2020, 9(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9010042

Plants:

• “Photosynthetic Metabolism under Stressful Growth Conditions as a Bases for Crop Breeding and Yield Improvement”
  by Fermín Morales, María Ancín, Dorra Fakhet, Jon González-Torralba, Angie L. Gámez, Amaia Seminario, David Soba, Sinda Ben Mariem, Miguel Garriga and Iker Aranjuelo
  Plants 2020, 9(1), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010088

• “Plant Roots Release Small Extracellular Vesicles with Antifungal Activity”
  by Monica De Palma, Alfredo Ambrosone, Antonietta Leone, Pasquale Del Gaudio, Michelina Ruocco, Lilla Turiák, Ramesh Bokka, Immacolata Fiume, Marina Tucci and Gabriella Pocsfalvi
  Plants 2020, 9(12), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121777

• “Feeding Behavior and Virus-transmission Ability of Insect Vectors Exposed to Systemic Insecticides”
  by Elisa Garzo, Aránzazu Moreno, María Plaza and Alberto Fereres
  Plants 2020, 9(7), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070895

• “Transcriptome Analyses and Antioxidant Activity Profiling Reveal the Role of a Lignin-Derived Biostimulant Seed Treatment in Enhancing Heat Stress Tolerance in Soybean”
  by Cristina Campobenedetto, Giuseppe Mannino, Chiara Agliassa, Alberto Acquadro, Valeria Contartese, Christian Garabello and Cinzia Margherita Bertea
  Plants 2020, 9(10), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101308

Toxins:

• “Aflatoxin Biosynthesis and Genetic Regulation: A Review”
  by Isaura Caceres, Anthony Al Khoury, Rhoda El Khoury, Sophie Lorber, Isabelle P. Oswald, André El Khoury, Ali Atoui, Olivier Puel and Jean-Denis Bailly
  Toxins 2020, 12(3), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12030150

• “Diet Breadth Mediates the Prey Specificity of Venom Potency in Snakes”
  by Keith Lyons, Michel M. Dugon and Kevin Healy
  Toxins 2020, 12(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12020074

Vaccines:               

• “Rapid Quantification of SARS-CoV-2-Neutralizing Antibodies Using Propagation-Defective Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Pseudotypes”
  by Ferdinand Zettl, Toni Luise Meister, Tanja Vollmer, Bastian Fischer, Jörg Steinmann, Adalbert Krawczyk, Philip V’kovski, Daniel Todt, Eike Steinmann, Stephanie Pfaender et al.
  Vaccines 2020, 8(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030386

• “Influences on Attitudes Regarding Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States”
  by Kendall Pogue, Jamie L. Jensen, Carter K. Stancil, Daniel G. Ferguson, Savannah J. Hughes, Emily J. Mello, Ryan Burgess, Bradford K. Berges, Abraham Quaye and Brian D. Poole
  Vaccines 2020, 8(4), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8040582

• “Recent Progress on the Versatility of Virus-Like Particles”
  by Ciying Qian, Xinlin Liu, Qin Xu, Zhiping Wang, Jie Chen, Tingting Li, Qingbing Zheng, Hai Yu, Ying Gu, Shaowei Li et al.
  Vaccines 2020, 8(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8010139

• “COVID-19: Mechanisms of Vaccination and Immunity”
  by Daniel E. Speiser and Martin F. Bachmann
  Vaccines 2020, 8(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030404

Veterinary Sciences:

• “Manure as a Potential Hotspot for Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination by Horizontal Gene Transfer Events”
  by Tiago Lima, Sara Domingues and Gabriela Jorge Da Silva
  Vet. Sci. 2020, 7(3), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030110

• “Seasonality of Nosema ceranae Infections and Their Relationship with Honey Bee Populations, Food Stores, and Survivorship in a North American Region”
  by Berna Emsen, Alvaro De la Mora, Brian Lacey, Les Eccles, Paul G. Kelly, Carlos A. Medina-Flores, Tatiana Petukhova, Nuria Morfin and Ernesto Guzman-Novoa
  Vet. Sci. 2020, 7(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030131

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

To commemorate the World Hepatitis Day 2023, MDPI organized a webinar on 28 July 2023 to encourage researchers to come together, take action, and highlight how the exchange of findings facilitates efforts to raise awareness of hepatitis. The low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed to achieve the global elimination goals of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by 2030.

Session 1:

 You can watch the recorded webinar below:

Session 2:

 You can watch the recorded webinar below:

 Relevant Special Issues:

Pathogens
“Research on Hepatitis B Virus: Past, Present, and Future”
Edited by: Hyung Joon Yim
Submission deadline: 31 August 2023 

JPM
“Novel Challenges and Therapeutic Options for Liver Diseases”
Edited by: Guido Gerken
Submission deadline: 30 September 2023 

Medicina
“Viral Hepatitis Research: Updates and Challenges”
Edited by: Endrit Shahini, Antonio Giovanni Solimando and Antonella Argentiero
Submission deadline: 15 October 2023 

Cells
“Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and Liver Fibrosis: Molecular and Multicellular Control of Evolving Diseased States”
Edited by: Jérôme Eeckhoute
Submission deadline: 15 February 2024 

Diagnostics
“Diagnosis and Management of Liver Diseases—2nd Edition”
Edited by: Jeong-Ju Yoo
Submission deadline: 30 September 2023 

Vaccines
“Vaccination and Treatments against Viral Hepatitis: Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives”
Edited by: Bárbara Vieira Do Lago and Vinicius M. Mello
Submission deadline: 15 October 2023

We are excited to present the latest edition of the Editor’s Choice Articles, where we shine a spotlight on exceptional research published in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). As passionate advocates of scientific excellence, our team of scientific editors has carefully curated a selection of high-quality articles covering diverse topics in the virology community.

In this edition, you will find an array of fascinating studies exploring Baculovirus, HIV, Flavivirus, Rodent-Borne Viruses, Avian Influenza Viruses, Phage, Lyssavirus, Coronaviruses, SARS-CoV, Papillomavirus, and much more. To provide you with a glimpse into the essence of each research endeavor, every article is accompanied by a graphical abstract and a succinct summary.

Our Editor's Choice Articles not only celebrate groundbreaking discoveries, but also foster engagement within the scientific community. We look forward to your insights and feedback, as they are paramount to advancing our collective understanding of virology.

Dive into the latest advancements in virology research and join us in exploring the frontiers of science.

“Global Metabolic Profiling of Baculovirus Infection in Silkworm Hemolymph Shows the Importance of Amino-Acid Metabolism”
by Min Feng, Shigang Fei, Junming Xia, Mengmeng Zhang, Hongyun Wu, Luc Swevers and Jingchen Sun
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050841
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/841

Message from the Editor:

In this study, global metabolic changes associated with BmNPV infection in silkworm hemolymphs were analyzed to understand the interaction between the host metabolic responses and BmNPV infection. The results revealed a unique amino acid utilization process that was implemented during BmNPV infection, in which amino acid consumption was increased at 24 hours post infection, but its abundance recovered at 72 hours post infection. Furthermore, it was found that glycolysis and glutaminolysis are not essential during BmNPV infection.

“Microglial HIV-1 Expression: Role in HIV-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders”
by Hailong Li, Kristen A. McLaurin, Jessica M. Illenberger, Charles F. Mactutus and Rosemarie M. Booze
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050924
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/924

Message from the Editor:

In this study, two complementary studies were conducted to (1) evaluate the HIV-1 mRNA distribution pattern and major cell type expressing HIV-1 mRNA in HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats, and (2) validate our findings by developing and critically testing a novel biological system to model active HIV-1 infection in rats. The results showed that microglia were the predominant cell type expressing HIV-1 mRNA in the HIV-1 Tg rats. Within eight weeks of infection, EcoHIV rats exhibited neurocognitive impairments and synaptic dysfunction, which may have resulted from the activation of the NogoA-NgR3/PirB-RhoA signaling pathway and/or neuroinflammation.

“An Absolutely Conserved Tryptophan in the Stem of the Envelope Protein E of Flaviviruses Is Essential for the Formation of Stable Particles”
by Iris Medits, Franz X. Heinz and Karin Stiasny
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1727; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091727
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1727

Message from the Editor：

Medits, Heinz, and Stiasny (2021) investigated the importance of tryptophan in different stages of the viral life cycle via a mutagenesis-based approach using tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The study shows that W421 does not play an important role in viral fusion-related processes, but is essential for virus assembly by establishing interactions that confer stability to infectious mature particles. As revealed by a resuscitating mutation in passaged virus mutants, these stabilizing interactions could also be provided by another large hydrophobic amino acid (leucine) at the same position.

“Phylogenomic Characterization of Lopma Virus and Praja Virus, Two Novel Rodent-Borne Arteriviruses”
by Bert Vanmechelen, Zafeiro Zisi, Sophie Gryseels, Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq, Bram Vrancken, Philippe Lemey, Piet Maes and Magda Bletsa
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1842; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091842
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1842

Message from the Editor:

The complete genome sequences of four new arterivirus variants belonging to two putative novel species were reported in this study. These new arteriviruses were discovered in African rodents and were given the names Lopma virus and Praja virus. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Lopma virus clusters in the subfamily Variarterivirinae, while Praja virus clusters near members of the subfamily Heroarterivirinae: the yet undescribed forest pouched giant rat arterivirus and hedgehog arterivirus 1.

“The Pathobiology of H7N3 Low and High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses from the United States Outbreak in 2020 Differs between Turkeys and Chickens”
by Miriã F. Criado, Christina M. Leyson, Sungsu Youk, Suzanne DeBlois, Tim Olivier, Mary Lea Killian, Mia L. Torchetti, Darren J. Parris, Erica Spackman, Darrell R. Kapczynski et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1851; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091851
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1851

Message from the Editor:

In this study, Criado et al. (2021) reported clear differences in the pathobiology of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in turkeys and chickens. Results showed that the H7N3 2020 low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) and the high-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) were more infectious in turkeys than in chickens and were efficiently transmitted to contact turkeys but not chickens, corroborating the high susceptibility of turkeys to AIV infections. Other than that, the LPAIV with the NA stalk deletion was found to be more infectious in turkeys, but did not have enhanced infectivity in chickens.

“Reduced Infection Efficiency of Phage NCTC 12673 on Non-Motile Campylobacter jejuni Strains Is Related to Oxidative Stress”
by Jessica C. Sacher, Muhammad Afzal Javed, Clay S. Crippen, James Butcher, Annika Flint, Alain Stintzi and Christine M. Szymanski
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1955; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101955
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1955

Message from the Editor:

This investigation revealed a complex interplay between phage infectivity, oxidative stress, and flagellar motility in C. jejuni. The results indicated that the apparent dependence of phage NCTC 12673 on C. jejuni motility is not related to adsorption to the flagella, but instead can be explained by the phage’s reduced infection efficiency under conditions of oxidative stress. Moreover, evidence has demonstrated that the phage-encoded FlaGrab is phase-variable, and that variable expression of this protein may be linked to a mechanism by which the phage can tune its infectivity according to the oxidative-stress state of the cell.

“Spillover of West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV) in a Domestic Cat and Westward Expansion in the Palearctic Region”
by Stefania Leopardi, Ettore Barneschi, Giuseppe Manna, Barbara Zecchin, Pamela Priori, Petra Drzewnioková, Francesca Festa, Andrea Lombardo, Fabio Parca, Dino Scaravelli et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 2064; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13102064
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/2064

Message from the Editor:

In June 2020, a cat from Arezzo (Italy) that died from a neurological disease was diagnosed with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV). People that were exposed to the cat received full post-exposure prophylaxis, while animals underwent six months of quarantine. In a tunnel located near the cat’s house, a group of bent-winged bats that had shown virus-neutralizing antibodies to WCVB across four sampling occasions was identified, but no virus was found in salivary swabs.

“Evolution of Anti-RBD IgG Avidity following SARS-CoV-2 Infection”
by Alexandra Tauzin, Gabrielle Gendron-Lepage, Manon Nayrac, Sai Priya Anand, Catherine Bourassa, Halima Medjahed, Guillaume Goyette, Mathieu Dubé, Renée Bazin, Daniel E. Kaufmann et al.
Viruses 2022, 14(3), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14030532
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/3/532

Message from the Editor:

Tauzin et al. (2022) developed a simple assay to measure the avidity of anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) IgG elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection. It was observed that, while the level of antibodies declined over time, the anti-RBD avidity progressively increased and correlated with the B cell class switch. Additionally, it was observed that anti-RBD avidity increased similarly after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination and after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

“Depo Medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) Promotes Papillomavirus Infections but Does Not Accelerate Disease Progression in the Anogenital Tract of a Mouse Model”
by Jiafen Hu, Sarah A. Brendle, Jingwei J. Li, Vonn Walter, Nancy M. Cladel, Timothy Cooper, Debra A. Shearer, Karla K. Balogh and Neil D. Christensen
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14050980
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/980

Message from the Editor:

In this study, a mouse papillomavirus (MmuPV1) anogenital infection model was used to test two hypotheses: (1) contraceptives such as DMPA increase the susceptibility of the anogenital tract to viral infection and (2) long-term contraceptive administration induces more advanced disease at the anogenital tract. From the experiment’s results, DMPA promoted initial papillomavirus infections in the lower genital tract, and the chronic administration of DMPA did not promote cancer development in the infected tissues in our mouse model.

“SARS CoV-2 (Delta Variant) Infection Kinetics and Immunopathogenesis in Domestic Cats”
by Miruthula Tamil Selvan, Sachithra Gunasekara, Ping Xiao, Kristen Griffin, Shannon R. Cowan, Sai Narayanan, Akhilesh Ramachandran, Darren E. Hagen, Jerry W. Ritchey, Jennifer M. Rudd et al.
Viruses 2022, 14(6), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14061207
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/6/1207

Message from the Editor:

A feline model was established to study COVID-19 disease progression, and this model was utilized to evaluate infection kinetics and immunopathology of the rapidly circulating Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2. From the results, RNA sequencing of infected feline lung tissues identified upregulation of multiple gene pathways associated with cytokine–receptor interactions, chemokine signaling, and viral protein–cytokine interactions during acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) of differentially expressed genes identified several distinct clusters of dysregulated hub genes that are significantly correlated with both clinical signs and lesions during acute infection.

“Origins and Evolution of Seasonal Human Coronaviruses”
by James R. Otieno, Joshua L. Cherry, David J. Spiro, Martha I. Nelson and Nídia S. Trovão
Viruses 2022, 14(7), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14071551
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/7/1551

Message from the Editor:

In this study, the evolutionary histories of seasonal human coronaviruses (sHCoVs) were found to be highly complex, owing to the frequent recombination of CoVs, including within and between sHCoVs, and uncertain, due to the under sampling of non-human viruses. The recombination rate was highest for 229E and OC43, whereas substitutions per recombination event were highest in NL63 and HKU1. Additionally, OC43 may have ungulate, canine, or rabbit CoV ancestors, while 229E may have origins in bat, camel, or unsampled intermediate hosts, depending on the gene studied.

“Increased Polymerase Activity of Zoonotic H7N9 Allows Partial Escape from MxA”
by Philipp P. Petric, Jacqueline King, Laura Graf, Anne Pohlmann, Martin Beer and Martin Schwemmle
Viruses 2022, 14(11), 2331; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14112331
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/11/2331

Message from the Editor:

The objective of this study was to determine whether the H7N9 can adapt to escape MxA-mediated restriction. From the results, it showed that viral polymerase activity-enhancing mutations can partially overcome the antiviral activity of MxA against zoonotic H7N9. However, in patients and in an experimental infection model, no true MxA escape mutations were detected, suggesting that, fortunately, MxA still seems to pose a high human species barrier for H7N9.

“SIV Infection Regulates Compartmentalization of Circulating Blood Plasma miRNAs within Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) and Extracellular Condensates (ECs) and Decreases EV-Associated miRNA-128“
by Steven Kopcho, Marina McDew‑White, Wasifa Naushad, Mahesh Mohan and Chioma M. Okeoma
Viruses 2023, 15(3), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030622
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/3/622

Message from the Editor:

This study aimed to (i) investigate the abundance and compartmentalization of exmiRNAs in EVs versus ECs in the healthy uninfected state and (ii) evaluate how SIV infection may affect exmiRNA abundance and compartmentalization in these particles. The data showed that SIV infection altered the profile of the miRNAome of EVs and revealed that miR-128-3p may be a potential target of HIV/SIV. The significant decrease in miR-128-3p in HIV-infected humans and in SIV-infected RMs may indicate disease progression.

“TMPRSS11D and TMPRSS13 Activate the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein”
by Mai Kishimoto, Kentaro Uemura, Takao Sanaki, Akihiko Sato, William W. Hall, Hiroaki Kariwa, Yasuko Orba, Hirofumi Sawa and Michihito Sasaki
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030384
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/384

“Quinine Inhibits Infection of Human Cell Lines with SARS-CoV-2”
by Maximilian Große, Natalia Ruetalo, Mirjam Layer, Dan Hu, Ramona Businger, Sascha Rheber, Christian Setz, Pia Rauch, Janina Auth, Maria Fröba et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040647
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/647

“mRNA-lncRNA Co-Expression Network Analysis Reveals the Role of lncRNAs in Immune Dysfunction during Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection”
by Sumit Mukherjee, Bodhisattwa Banerjee, David Karasik and Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030402
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/402

“The Pro-Inflammatory Chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11 Are Upregulated Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an AKT-Dependent Manner”
by Victoria Callahan, Seth Hawks, Matthew A. Crawford, Caitlin W. Lehman, Holly A. Morrison, Hannah M. Ivester, Ivan Akhrymuk, Niloufar Boghdeh, Rafaela Flor, Carla V. Finkielstein et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1062; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061062
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6/1062

“Modeling within-Host SARS-CoV-2 Infection Dynamics and Potential Treatments”
by Mehrshad Sadria and Anita T. Layton
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1141; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061141
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6/1141

“Resveratrol and Pterostilbene Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Air–Liquid Interface Cultured Human Primary Bronchial Epithelial Cells”
by Bram M. ter Ellen, Nilima Dinesh Kumar, Ellen M. Bouma, Berit Troost, Denise P. I. van de Pol, Heidi H. van der Ende-Metselaar, Leonie Apperloo, Djoke van Gosliga, Maarten van den Berge, Martijn C. Nawijn et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1335; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071335
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1335

“SARS-CoV-2 N Protein Targets TRIM25-Mediated RIG-I Activation to Suppress Innate Immunity”
by Gianni Gori Savellini, Gabriele Anichini, Claudia Gandolfo and Maria Grazia Cusi
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1439; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081439
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/8/1439

“Robust Neutralizing Antibody Levels Detected after Either SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination or One Year after Infection”
by Stefan Glöckner, Franziska Hornung, Michael Baier, Sebastian Weis, Mathias W. Pletz, Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer, Bettina Löffler and the CoNAN Study Group
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 2003; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13102003
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/2003

“Macrophages and Monocytes: “Trojan Horses” in COVID-19”
by Elena Percivalle, Josè Camilla Sammartino, Irene Cassaniti, Eloisa Arbustini, Mario Urtis, Alexandra Smirnova, Monica Concardi, Cristina Belgiovine, Alessandro Ferrari, Daniele Lilleri et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(11), 2178; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13112178
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/11/2178

“SARS-CoV-2 Infects Human ACE2-Negative Endothelial Cells through an αvβ3 Integrin-Mediated Endocytosis Even in the Presence of Vaccine-Elicited Neutralizing Antibodies”
by Antonella Bugatti, Federica Filippini, Marta Bardelli, Alberto Zani, Paola Chiodelli, Serena Messali, Arnaldo Caruso and Francesca Caccuri
Viruses 2022, 14(4), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040705
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/4/705

MDPI will attend the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology. This event will be held from 20 to 25 August 2023 in Lyon, France, and is hosted by the International Society for Plant Pathology.

Plant pathologists and plant health researchers from around the world will meet to discuss their latest research as well as the current and future issues facing plant health experts. The host, the French Phytopathological Society, has set an exciting and challenging theme for the congress: “One Health for all plants, crops and trees”. This topic promises to provide a broad platform for talks, posters, and discussions that consider the integral nature of plant health with human, animal, and environmental health. In addition to an excellent program of keynote talks, concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and networking opportunities, there will be a number of satellite events before the meeting dates to provide opportunities for deeper discussions on a number of topics.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Agriculture (leading);
• Plants;
• Horticulturae;
• Viruses;
• IJMS;
• Life;
• Seeds;
• Crops;
• Forests;
• JoF.

If you plan on attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth and start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.icpp2023.org/.

“Phage Therapy Related Microbial Succession Associated with Successful Clinical Outcome for a Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection”
by Austen Terwilliger, Justin Clark, Maile Karris, Haroldo Hernandez-Santos, Sabrina Green, Saima Aslam and Anthony Maresso
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 2049; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13102049
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/2049

“Bacteriophage Rescue Therapy of a Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Infection in a One-Year-Old Child following a Third Liver Transplantation”
by Kevin Paul, Maya Merabishvili, Ronen Hazan, Martin Christner, Uta Herden, Daniel Gelman, Leron Khalifa, Ortal Yerushalmy, Shunit Coppenhagen-Glazer, Theresa Harbauer et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1785; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091785
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1785

“The Safety and Toxicity of Phage Therapy: A Review of Animal and Clinical Studies”
by Dan Liu, Jonas D. Van Belleghem, Christiaan R. de Vries, Elizabeth Burgener, Qingquan Chen, Robert Manasherob, Jenny R. Aronson, Derek F. Amanatullah, Pranita D. Tamma and Gina A. Suh
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071268
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1268

“A Case of Phage Therapy against Pandrug-Resistant Achromobacter xylosoxidans in a 12-Year-Old Lung-Transplanted Cystic Fibrosis Patient”
by David Lebeaux, Maia Merabishvili, Eric Caudron, Damien Lannoy, Leen Van Simaey, Hans Duyvejonck, Romain Guillemain, Caroline Thumerelle, Isabelle Podglajen, Fabrice Compain et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010060
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/1/60

“A Design of Experiment Approach to Optimize Spray-Dried Powders Containing Pseudomonas aeruginosaPodoviridae and Myoviridae Bacteriophages”
by Emilie Tabare, Tea Glonti, Christel Cochez, Cyrille Ngassam, Jean-Paul Pirnay, Karim Amighi and Jonathan Goole
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101926
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1926

“Characterization of Anti-Bacterial Effect of the Two New Phages against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli”
by Lívia Slobodníková, Barbora Markusková, Michal Kajsík, Michal Andrezál, Marek Straka, Adriána Liptáková and Hana Drahovská
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1348; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071348
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1348

“Past and Future of Phage Therapy and Phage-Derived Proteins in Patients with Bone and Joint Infection”
by Tristan Ferry, Camille Kolenda, Thomas Briot, Aubin Souche, Sébastien Lustig, Jérôme Josse, Cécile Batailler, Fabrice Pirot, Mathieu Medina, Gilles Leboucher et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2414; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122414
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/12/2414

“Phage Therapy Experience at the Eliava Phage Therapy Center: Three Cases of Bacterial Persistence”
by Elisabed Zaldastanishvili, Lika Leshkasheli, Mariam Dadiani, Lia Nadareishvili, Lia Askilashvili, Nino Kvatadze, Marina Goderdzishvili, Mzia Kutateladze and Nana Balarjishvili
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1901; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101901
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1901

“A Case of In Situ Phage Therapy against Staphylococcus aureus in a Bone Allograft Polymicrobial Biofilm Infection: Outcomes and Phage-Antibiotic Interactions”
by Brieuc Van Nieuwenhuyse, Christine Galant, Bénédicte Brichard, Pierre-Louis Docquier, Sarah Djebara, Jean-Paul Pirnay, Dimitri Van der Linden, Maya Merabishvili and Olga Chatzis
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 1898; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13101898
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/10/1898

“Bacteriophage Therapy for Difficult-to-Treat Infections: The Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Phage Task Force (The PHAGEFORCE Study Protocol)”
by Jolien Onsea, Saartje Uyttebroek, Baixing Chen, Jeroen Wagemans, Cédric Lood, Laura Van Gerven, Isabel Spriet, David Devolder, Yves Debaveye, Melissa Depypere et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1543; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081543
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/8/1543

The low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed to achieve the global elimination goals of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by 2030. 

To commemorate the World Hepatitis Day 2023, MDPI is launching a special webinar to encourage researchers to come together, take action, and highlight how the exchange of findings facilitates efforts to raise awareness of hepatitis.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the MDPI World Hepatitis Day Webinar 2023. 

Conference secretariat: Ms. Shun Li
Date and time: 28 July 2023, 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., CEST

This is a free webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information 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 to watch. 

Session 1:

Register for Session 1 for free!

Session 2:

Register for Session 2 for free! 

Relevant Special Issues:
Pathogens
"Research on Hepatitis B Virus: Past, Present, and Future"
Edited by: Hyung Joon Yim
Submission deadline: 31 August 2023 

JPM
"Novel Challenges and Therapeutic Options for Liver Diseases"
Edited by: Guido Gerken
Submission deadline: 30 September 2023 

Medicina
"Viral Hepatitis Research: Updates and Challenges"
Edited by: Endrit Shahini, Antonio Giovanni Solimando and Antonella Argentiero
Submission deadline: 15 October 2023 

Cells
"Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and Liver Fibrosis: Molecular and Multicellular Control of Evolving Diseased States"
Edited by: Jérôme Eeckhoute
Submission deadline: 15 February 2024 

Diagnostics
"Diagnosis and Management of Liver Diseases—2nd Edition"
Edited by: Jeong-Ju Yoo
Submission deadline: 30 September 2023 

Vaccines
"Vaccination and Treatments against Viral Hepatitis: Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives"
Edited by: Bárbara Vieira Do Lago and Vinicius M. Mello
Submission deadline: 15 October 2023

With the first issue released in June 2023, five new MDPI journals disseminating multi-disciplinary science are due to launch, which will cover the subjects of medicine & pharmacology, biology and physical sciences.

The newly launched journals will be overseen by professional Editorial Board Members and Editors to ensure an accurate and rapid publication, rigorous peer review and broad visibility.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal topics (selected)
	Prof. Dr. Jun Ma, Peking University, China| Editorial | view inaugural issue	growth and development; diet and nutrients; school health promotion policies and practices; child health and care; adolescent health and wellbeing | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Bernd Rehm, Griffith University, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	DNA and gene synthesis; synthetic transcription factors; protein engineering; viral engineering; metabolic engineering | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Varsha Gandhi, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	lymphatics; cancers associated with lymphocytes and lymphoblasts; lymphatic tissues; lymphoma; lymphoid leukemia | view journal scope | submit an article
	Dr. Bradley Turner, University of Melbourne, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; primary lateral sclerosis; atherosclerosis; systemic sclerosis | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Clemens Burda, Case Western Reserve University, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	Gamma ray, X-ray, and UV–Vis spectroscopies; NIR/mid-infrared/Raman spectroscopy; microwave and THz spectroscopy; high-resolution gas-phase atomic, molecular, and cluster spectroscopy; MS, NMR, and EPR spectroscopy | view journal scope | submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to submit an application to the New Journal Committee ([email protected]) if you would like to create more new journals.

We are pleased to inform you that the Viruses’ 2022 Impact Factor is 4.7. Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) now ranks Q2 (15 among 36 titles) in the “Virology” category. Our journal continues to build momentum in the virology community.

For more journal statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/stats.  

The Viruses Editorial Office would like to thank all authors, reviewers, and editors who have contributed to the journal.

The 2022 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals:

We are thrilled to announce that 90% of our ranked MDPI journals, specifically 86 out of 96 (captured in the table below), are performing above average in Q1 or Q2. This year, Clarivate has expanded its Impact Factor (IF) awards to include journals in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), providing greater transparency for the full set of journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. As a result, 111 of MDPI journals have received their first IF in 2023, with 37 journals surpassing an IF of 3.0. In total, 208 MDPI journals have been honored with an IF.

Clarivate explains that by "expanding the coverage but holding to highly selective standards, the [Impact Factor] is now a reliable indicator of trustworthiness, as well as a measure of scholarly impact, at the journal level."

Please visit our blog post where we discuss the release of the latest citation metrics with our Indexing Manager, Dr. Constanze Schelhorn, to find out what's different this time around and how to make use of different metrics available.

Note: The Journal of Personalized Medicine's Impact Factor was omitted in the original release and will be assigned separately. Please find the data on the journal webpage in due course.

Source: 2022 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2023)

We are pleased to inform you that Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) has received an updated CiteScore of 7.1, an increase of 7.57% compared with the 2021 metric. The 2022 CiteScore™ was released recently, making an assessment of the scientific influence of journals in the 2019 to 2022 period.

Viruses CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q1 (74 out of 304 journals) in the “Infectious Diseases” category;
• Q2 (29 out of 75 journals) in the “Virology” category.

For more journal statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/stats.

Excellent performance is inseparable from the support and dedication of all journal editors, reviewers, authors, and readers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to the journal.

MDPI journals will be attending the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society for Virology as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Athens, Georgia, USA from 24 to 28 June 2023.

The American Society for Virology (ASV) is a wonderful community that brings together virologists from all areas of the field. As a result, the annual meetings are rich in diverse scientific offerings and they can be quite large (sometimes over 1600 attendees). This conference is hosted by the University of Georgia and held at the Classic Center; the scientific program will include symposia, concurrent workshops, poster sessions, exhibits, and special events. Professional development activities and social events will be interspersed throughout the meeting.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Biomedicines;
• Life;
• Viruses;
• Cells;
• Vaccines;
• Veterinary Sciences;
• Microorganisms;
• CIMB;
• Pathogens;
• TropicalMed;
• Zoonotic Diseases;
• COVID.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our booth, please visit: https://asv.org/asv2023/.

On 7 April 2023—World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) will observe its 75th anniversary. In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded the WHO to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable, so that everyone, everywhere, can attain the highest level of health and well-being. The WHO’s 75th anniversary is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved quality of life over the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow. In order to encourage everyone to understand health and pay attention to health, we have also curated a list of publications on topics related to universal health coverage, healthy diet, and mental health. We also want to remind everyone that all research published in MDPI journals is available in an open access format, allowing practitioners, policy makers, and people around the world to access the latest scientific knowledge to build upon and share. Although we still have a long way to go to achieve universal health, this day also provides an opportunity to celebrate the progress made and inspire further action toward a more just and equitable world. Join us on a journey at MDPI to achieve Health for All.

• The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet as a Predictor of Weight Loss after a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) in Women with Overweight and Obesity

  Antioxidants 2023, 12(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12010018

• Effectiveness of Non-Contact Dietary Coaching in Adults with Diabetes or Prediabetes Using a Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Healthcare 2023, 11(2), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020252

• The Association between Advanced Liver Fibrosis and Mortality Is Modified by Dietary Quality among Korean Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with Mortality Data

  Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1501; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061501

• Physical Exercise and Diet: Regulation of Gut Microbiota to Prevent and Treat Metabolic Disorders to Maintain Health

  Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1539; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061539

• Modelling and Prediction of the Spread of COVID-19 in Cameroon and Assessing the Governmental Measures (March–September 2020)

  COVID 2021, 1(3), 622-644; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid1030052

• SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers of Trieste (North-Eastern Italy), 1 October 2020–7 February 2022: Occupational Risk and the Impact of the Omicron Variant

  Viruses 2022, 14(8), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14081663

• Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece

  Children 2022, 9(10), 1553; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101553

• Determinants of Equity in Coverage of Measles-Containing Vaccines in Wales, UK, during the Elimination Era

  Vaccines 2023, 11(3), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030680

• Sex Differences in Substance Use, Prevalence, Pharmacological Therapy, and Mental Health in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  Brain Sci. 2022, 12(5), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050590

• Impact on Students of the Act–Belong–Commit Mentally Healthy Schools Framework

  Children 2023, 10(3), 548; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030548

• Psychological Health and Drugs: Data-Driven Discovery of Causes, Treatments, Effects, and Abuses

  Toxics 2023, 11(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030287

• Characterizing Touch Discrimination Impairment from Pooled Stroke Samples Using the Tactile Discrimination Test: Updated Criteria for Interpretation and Brief Test Version for Use in Clinical Practice Settings

  Brain Sci. 2023, 13(4), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040533

Conference: 8th European Congress of Virology 2023
Date: 4–7 May 2023
Location: Gdańsk, Poland

MDPI will be attending the 8th European Congress of Virology 2023 (ECV 2023) as an exhibitor, and we welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

This conference is organized by the European Society for Virology. ECV 2023 will be a great opportunity for European virologists representing various fields of research to meet, present their results, and discuss all the developments in virology that have taken place during this unusual time. It will also be a great opportunity to meet friends, renew old acquaintances, and establish new collaborations. Although coronavirus studies will undoubtedly be one of the leading subjects at ECV 2023, it is important to have all research areas represented, including basic, clinical, veterinary, and plant virology. 

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Viruses;
• Microorganism;
• Vaccines;
• Pathogens;
• Biomedicines;
• Veterinary Science;
• Immuno;
• COVID.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.eusv-congress.eu/.

The 2023 American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting (ASM Microbe 2023) will be held in Houston, USA, from 15 to 19 June 2023. This annual meeting is the largest gathering of microbiologists in the world, and it is expected that nearly 8,000 professionals from all over the world will attend the meeting. Founded in 1899, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is the oldest and largest single life science society in the world, consisting of more than 50,000 scientists and health professionals, of which more than one-third of the members are from countries and regions outside the United States. The mission of the American Society for Microbiology is to promote and advance the science of microbiology.

Topics include:

• Disaster Microbiology;
• Emerging Infections – What is the next pandemic? (Focus on Nipah and Marburg);
• Natural Product Discovery and Synthesis;
• Combating the Climate Crisis with Critters: Microbial Carbon Capture;
• Powering the Future: Applied Microbiology in the Energy Industry;
• Equity and Access in Laboratory Diagnostics;
• Microbiome Management in a Changing World.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Microorganisms;
• Journal of Fungi;
• Viruses;
• Applied Biosciences;
• MPs;
• IJMS;
• Vaccines;
• Fermentation;
• Diversity;
• Metabolites;
• Biomolecules;
• Antibiotics;
• Pathogens;
• Life.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you at booth number #2504 in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our virtual booth, please visit the following link: https://asm.org/Events/ASM-Microbe/Home.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos de la Torre has been appointed Associate Editor of the Section “Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals” in Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915).

Name: Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos de la Torre  

Affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology IMM-6, Scripps Research, 10466 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA

Interests: molecular, cell biology and pathogenesis of mammarenaviruses; virus-host cell interactions; antivirals; live attenuated vaccines

Homepage: https://www.scripps.edu/delatorre/research.html

Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos de la Torre is a Professor at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, Las Jolla, CA, USA. He obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology and virology from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain, in 1985. After conducting a postdoctoral research training with Dr. John Holland (UCSD) on evolution of RNA viruses, and subsequently with Dr. Michael Oldstone (Scripps Research) on viral pathogenesis, he joined the Scripps Research faculty in 1996. His research focuses on the molecular, cell biology and pathogenesis of mammarenaviruses, as well as the development of strategies, antivirals, and vaccines, to combat human pathogenic mammarenaviruses. Several mammarenaviruses cause hemorrhagic fever (HF) disease in humans and pose important public health problems in their endemic regions. In addition, the worldwide-distributed prototypic mammarenavirus LCMV is a neglected human pathogen. There are no FDA-licensed mammarenavirus vaccines and current anti-mammarenaviral therapy is limited to an off-label use of ribavirin whose efficacy remains controversial. His laboratory pioneered the development of mammarenavirus reverse genetics that has provided investigators with a novel and powerful approach for the investigation of mammarenavirus replication, gene expression, assembly and budding, as well as virus-host cell factor interactions that determine the infection outcome. These advances in mammarenavirus genetics also allow investigators to identify and characterize novel antiviral drugs, as well as implement novel vaccine platforms to combat human pathogenic mammrenaviruses.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos de la Torre, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and Open Access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Associate Editor?

I have been serving as a reviewer for Viruses for some time and the scope of the journal, the overall quality of the papers being submitted there, as well as their review process, fit very well with my scientific interests and views about scientific publication.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

Viruses should focus on providing a publishing space for high-quality publications covering diverse areas of virology, while ensuring reasonable publication expenses for the authors and that the review process is timely.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

I think the future of virology will involve multidisciplinary collaborations, including large scale collaborative efforts. The combined expertise of different laboratories coordinated into effective collaborations can address complex problems in a timely manner that are beyond the capabilities of any single laboratory. This will pose new challenges for publication in terms of the mechanisms that will be implemented to appropriately recognize the contributions of each group and individuals.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

In short, I am 100% in favor of Open Access in the publishing field.

As a leading open access publisher, MDPI provides scholars with a high-quality and rich academic exchange platform by continuously expanding into new and exciting research areas.

In December 2022, MDPI launched five new journals, covering multiple subjects such as life sciences, biology, medicine and pharmacology, social sciences and humanities. These new journals are being edited by established scholars across the world.

If you are interested in creating more open access journals with us to publish cutting-edge research, please send your journal proposal application to [email protected].

MDPI is pleased to announce that we now display the co-authors’ email addresses in addition to the corresponding author’s email address on the webpage of published papers, protected by Captcha. For more information about this change, please visit the journal’s instructions for authors page. 

We believe this change will facilitate academic discussions and advance our cause of open science and research. The corresponding authors are responsible for communicating with their co-authors and indicating in our system (https://susy.mdpi.com/) if co-authors would prefer for their email addresses not to be displayed.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Enzo Tramontano has been appointed as the Associate Editor of the Section “Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals” in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915).

Name: Prof. Dr. Enzo Tramontano

Affiliation: Chair, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato SS554, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy

Interests: virology; antiviral drugs; drug development; endogenous retroviruses; viral escape of innate immunity

Homepage: https://unica.it/unica/page/it/enzo_tramontano

Prof. Dr. Enzo Tramontano is a Professor of microbiology and Chair of the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Cagliari (Italy), and is currently the Vice-President of the Italian Society for Virology (SIV-ISV). His research activities focus on the i) discovery and development of antiviral agents; ii) understanding the molecular mechanism of innate immunity viral evasion; iii) study of the expression of retroviral sequences stably integrated into human genomes to explore their physiological and pathological role.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Enzo Tramontano, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and Open Access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Associate Editor?

It is a relatively new, well-respected international scientific journal with a dynamic Editor-in-Chief and a strong and diversified Editorial Board. I believe it will be an exciting task.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

The journal should be a platform of excellence for virology research, providing cutting-edge high-quality research papers and accurate review articles focused on prominent topics. In addition, I believe it must also contribute to inspiring a new generation of virologists with a passion for questions and discoveries, as well as the scientific rigor for investigating them.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Viruses are an essential component of our planet. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how they may impact our daily life, but their role far exceeds their pathological effects. Virology is a rising field in which new basic knowledge may lead to many novel technological advances, as it has already been proven historically.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

The Open Access policy addresses the need of improving the diffusion of scientific information, speeding up technological innovation and boosting the benefits of public investment in research. Open Access may also improve the impact of science outside the scientific community, reaching a wider audience on relevant topics.

We wish Prof. Dr. Enzo Tramontano every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

On 9 February 2023, Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics, added the Preprint Citation Index to the Web of Science platform, streamlining the research process by allowing researchers to locate and link to preprints alongside other trusted content in the database.

The Preprint Citation Index will act as a bridge to connect cutting-edge preprints with peer-reviewed journal articles published within the Web of Science Core Collection. Alerts can be easily set to monitor new research across several repositories and authors will also be able to include preprints on their Web of Science Research Profile to more accurately display their various research outputs.

As of its launch, the Preprint Citation Index will provide nearly two million preprints from various repositories, including MDPI’s own Preprints.org.

MDPI's Preprints Platform – Preprints.org

To advance Open Science and the fast dissemination of research, MDPI offers researchers a free multidisciplinary preprint platform. Preprints.org accepts submissions from all research areas and offers authors high visibility, permanent archiving, article-level Metrics and immediately citable content by assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to all preprints.

During submission to any MDPI journal, authors have the option to share their research as a preprint. After an initial screening, the manuscript is available online in 48 hours or less. Once online, preprints can be downloaded, shared, commented on, and cited, providing authors maximum visibility.

We invite you to join the ranks of the over 100k researchers using Preprints.org and share your research.

For more information, please visit Preprints.org.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Shibo Jiang has been appointed Associate Editor of the “SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19” Section in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). We wish Prof. Dr. Shibo Jiang every success in his new position and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

Research on the following topics is welcome in this Section:

• COVID-19;
• SARS-CoV-2;
• Immunity;
• Diseases;
• Epidemiology and evolution;
• Pneumonia;
• Bat virus;
• Vaccine design;
• Antiviral drug design;
• Treatment;
• Diagnosis;
• Prevention, prognosis and therapeutics;
• Clinical, medical and medicina;
• Public health research;
• Reverse genetics;
• Innate immunity;
• Adaptive immunity;
• Virus-host interactions;
• Animal models.

For more information about the “SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19” Section, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/sections/SARS-CoV-2_and_COVID-19.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Anthony V. Nicola has been appointed Associate Editor of the “Human Virology and Viral Diseases” Section in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). We wish Prof. Dr. Anthony V. Nicola every success in his new position and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

Viruses have caused some of the most dramatic and deadly disease pandemics and epidemics the world has known. Subsequently, most of these causing agents have become common viruses with different epidemiological trends. The most recent trend has focused on emerging and re-emerging viruses and our related preparedness and responses. However, human virology goes beyond (re)-emerging viral diseases. This Section aims at addressing all aspects of human viruses, medical virology, and virus-induced clinical diseases. All types of manuscripts addressing a broad range of topics including epidemiology, prevention, diagnostics, and treatment will be considered in this Section. Manuscripts must represent original and significant contributions.

Prof. Dr. Anthony V. Nicola has led a Special Issue for Viruses, “Viral Entry Pathways”, in which more than ten feature papers have been published.

For more information about the “Human Virology and Viral Diseases” Section, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/sections/Human_Virology_Viral_Diseases.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Satya Parida has been appointed Associate Editor of the “Animal Viruses” Section in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). We wish Prof. Dr. Satya Parida every success in his new position and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

This Section concerns viruses infecting animals and mechanistic studies of viral structure, entry, gene expression, and genome replication, assembly, and exit. Studies on virus–host interactions, innate immune responses, viral transformation, viral transmission, population dynamics, and evolution are also considered in this Section.

Prof. Dr. Satya Parida is leading two Special Issues for Viruses, “Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Control” and “Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Eradication: Improved Understanding of Epidemiology, Diagnostics and Vaccine Efficacy, Volume II”, in which more than twenty feature papers have been published.

For more information about the “Animal Viruses” Section, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/sections/animal_viruses.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Akira Ono has been appointed Associate Editor of the “Animal Viruses” Section in Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). We wish Prof. Dr. Akira Ono every success in his new position and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

This Section concerns viruses infecting animals and mechanistic studies of viral structure, entry, gene expression, and genome replication, assembly, and exit. Studies on virus–host interactions, innate immune responses, viral transformation, viral transmission, population dynamics, and evolution are also considered in this Section.

Prof. Dr. Akira Ono has led two Special Issues for Viruses, “Role of Lipids in Virus Replication” and “The 11th International Retroviral Nucleocapsid and Assembly Symposium”, in which more than ten feature papers have been published.

For more information about the “Animal Viruses” Section, please visit the following link: 
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/sections/animal_viruses.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.

Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) is an open access journal that provides an advanced forum for studies of viruses. It publishes reviews, regular research papers, communications, conference reports, and short notes. Our aim is to publish papers that have a significant impact on the virology community. We encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible.

The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. We also encourage the publication of timely reviews and commentaries on topics of interest to the virology community. Papers are either published in the open journal or in Special Issues devoted to specific topics of interest to the field. We accept proposals for review articles that are not part of Special Issues.

In order to support the scientific community and contribute to the faster distribution of important scientific research, Viruses has cooperated with various academic conferences and is now seeking cooperation with additional academic conferences. The journal is open to a diverse range of collaborations, such as media partnerships, awards, exhibitions, and publications.

The scope of Viruses includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Virus, viruses, virion, virology, virological, viral, viral infections, virologist;
• Virus classification;
• Virus-like agents, viroids, prions;
• Bacteriophage;
• Vaccines, viral immunology;
• Antiviral drugs, antiviral therapy, antiviral drug development;
• Origin of viruses, viral evolution;
• Virus structures, genomes;
• Virus dynamics, mathematical and simulation models of virus infections.

We welcome consultations with any conferences related to Viruses. If you are interested in collaborating with Viruses, please contact us at [email protected].

Recently, Clarivate^TM revealed its 2022 list of Highly Cited Researchers™—Individuals at universities, research institutes and commercial organizations.

The scientists who were selected into this year’s list of Highly Cited Researchers have published highly cited papers in the 11-year period from January 2011 to December 2021, with citation frequency in the top 1% of academic subjects and the same year of publication in the Web of Science^TM database. Based on Web of Science Citation data, 6,938 researchers from across the globe who have demonstrated a disproportionate level of significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields over the last decade have been awarded Highly Cited Researcher 2022 designations. The list is truly global, spanning 69 countries or regions and spread across a diverse range of research sciences and social sciences.

According to statistics, 8 members of the Editorial Board of Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) have been selected into the list of Highly Cited Researchers of Clarivate in 2022. They are being recognized for their high-quality scientific research achievements and outstanding contributions to professional fields. The Viruses journal office sincerely congratulates all elected Editorial Board Members and hopes that they continue to have an academically productive relationship with the journal.

Stanford University has recently published an update of the list of the top 2% most widely cited scientists—the World’s Top 2% Scientists.

The time node of the statistical data of this list is from 1960 to 2022, and it is divided into two lists: "Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking" and "2022 Annual Scientific Influence Ranking". The "Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking" counts the comprehensive influence performance of scientists during their careers, and the "2022 Annual Influence Ranking" focuses on highlighting the academic influence of scientists in the previous year. This ranking, considered the most prestigious worldwide, is based on the bibliometric information contained in the Scopus database and includes more than 200,000 researchers from the more than 10 million scientists considered to be active worldwide, with 22 scientific fields and 176 subfields taken into account.

We are pleased to share that 83 Editorial Board Members from MDPI’s journal Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) were featured in Stanford University’s list of World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2022.

The latest Stanford rankings reflect the significant influence and research excellence of the scientists, who are committed to furthering their knowledge for the benefit of the world.

We would like to congratulate our Editorial Board Members on their excellent achievement and thank them for their immense contribution to the scientific progression and development of Viruses.

We are pleased to invite you to read the Editor’s Choice Articles of Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915). A list of the high-quality and interesting papers that were specifically recommended by our Editorial Board Members can be found at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/editors_choice.

The papers list is as follows:

We are pleased to announce that Viruses (ISSN: 1999-4915) is now welcoming nominations for the Viruses 2022 Early Career Investigator Award. This prize will be awarded to two early career investigators demonstrating excellence in virology. The nominations will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee chaired by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Eric O. Freed.

Prizes:

• Prize of CHF 1000;
• Invitation to publish one paper free of charge in the journal in 2023, following peer review;
• An invitation to speak at the Viruses international virology conference in 2024, and an engraved plaque.

Award Terms and Conditions:

• Nominees should be early career researchers with untenured positions who are within 10 years of having completed their most recent degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent);
• Nominees must have produced ground-breaking research and made a significant contribution to the field of virology.

List of Documents for Nomination:

• A detailed curriculum vitae, including an updated publication list;
• Signed nomination letters and letters of recommendation from two established senior scientists.

Find more information about the award and how to nominate here.

To request further information, please contact the Viruses Editorial Office ([email protected]).

Peer Review Week began 19 September 2022 under the theme of “Research Integrity: Creating and Supporting Trust in Research”. Through various blog articles, podcast, and webinar, we discussed this crucial subject throughout the week, celebrating the essential role peer review plays in maintaining research quality.

To begin, we held a Webinar on the topic. Professor Peter W. Choate and Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi joined Dr. Ioana Craciun, one of MDPI’s scientific officers, for an in-depth discussion.

We invite you to view the event recording:

During the week, the MDPI Blog in a series articles highlighted how good Peer Review safeguards research integrity. The following topics were covered:

• Peer Review Week 2022
• Research Integrity
• What We’ve Learned About Peer Review Reports
• 4 Steps to the Perfect Peer Review Report
• How to Write the Perfect Peer Review Report: An Interview
• Inviting Great Peer Reviewers

In a new edition of Insight Faster, an MDPI podcast, we were delighted to talk to the co-chairs of the Peer Review Week committee, Jayashree Rajagopalan (Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement for CACTUS) and Danielle Padula (Head of Marketing and Community Development at Scholastica) to get their take on this year’s event and its related topics.

You can find the Podcast here.

We hope you enjoy the contents!

1. “Impaired Humoral Response in Renal Transplant Recipients to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech)”
by Johannes Korth et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(5), 756; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13050756
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/756
Cited by 92 | Viewed by 2845

2. “Domains and Functions of Spike Protein in SARS-Cov-2 in the Context of Vaccine Design”
by Xuhua Xia
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 109; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010109
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/1/109
Cited by 91 | Viewed by 16009

3. “Neuroinvasion and Encephalitis Following Intranasal Inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 in K18-hACE2 Mice”
by Pratima Kumari et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010132
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/1/132
Cited by 82 | Viewed by 30382

4. “Antibody Response to the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Subjects with Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection”
by Federico Gobbi et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 422; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030422
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/422
Cited by 80 | Viewed by 12495

5. “Immune Evasion of SARS-CoV-2 Emerging Variants: What Have We Learnt So Far?”
by Ivana Lazarevic et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071192
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/7/1192
Cited by 79 | Viewed by 8279

6. “A Roadmap for Genome-Based Phage Taxonomy”
by Dann Turner et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030506
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/506
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 5498

7. “Attitudes towards Anti-SARS-CoV2 Vaccination among Healthcare Workers: Results from a National Survey in Italy”
by Francesco Di Gennaro et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030371
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/371
Cited by 72 | Viewed by 3020

8. “Long-COVID and Post-COVID Health Complications: An Up-to-Date Review on Clinical Conditions and Their Possible Molecular Mechanisms”
by Bruno Silva Andrade et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040700
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/700
Cited by 69 | Viewed by 12025

9. “Structure-Function Analyses of New SARS-CoV-2 Variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and B.1.1.28.1: Clinical, Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Public Health Implications”
by Jasdeep Singh et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 439; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030439
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/3/439
Cited by 65 | Viewed by 5564

10. “Glycyrrhizin Effectively Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication by Inhibiting the Viral Main Protease”
by Lukas van de Sand et al.
Viruses 2021, 13(4), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040609
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/4/609
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 4984

1. “Virology, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Control of COVID-19”
by Yuefei Jin et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(4), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12040372
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/4/372
Cited by 751 | Viewed by 75036

2. “Preliminary Identification of Potential Vaccine Targets for the COVID-19 Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Based on SARS-CoV Immunological Studies”
by Syed Faraz Ahmed et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(3), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12030254
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/3/254
Cited by 687 | Viewed by 59383

3. “Return of the Coronavirus: 2019-nCoV”
by Lisa E. Gralinski et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(2), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12020135
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/2/135
Cited by 684 | Viewed by 91557

4. “Potential Maternal and Infant Outcomes from Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (SARS-CoV-2) Infecting Pregnant Women: Lessons from SARS, MERS, and Other Human Coronavirus Infections”
by David A. Schwartz et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(2), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12020194
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/2/194
Cited by 545 | Viewed by 32959

5. “Systematic Comparison of Two Animal-to-Human Transmitted Human Coronaviruses: SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV”
by Jiabao Xu et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(2), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12020244
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/2/244
Cited by 399 | Viewed by 37502

6. “Protocol and Reagents for Pseudotyping Lentiviral Particles with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein for Neutralization Assays”
by Katharine H. D. Crawford et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(5), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12050513
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/5/513
Cited by 341 | Viewed by 13192

7. “Challenges in Laboratory Diagnosis of the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2”
by Nadin Younes et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(6), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12060582
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/6/582
Cited by 202 | Viewed by 13646

8. “Structural Genomics of SARS-CoV-2 Indicates Evolutionary Conserved Functional Regions of Viral Proteins”
by Suhas Srinivasan et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(4), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12040360
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/4/360
Cited by 134 | Viewed by 16756

9. “The Anticoagulant Nafamostat Potently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 S Protein-Mediated Fusion in a Cell Fusion Assay System and Viral Infection In Vitro in a Cell-Type-Dependent Manner”
by Mizuki Yamamoto et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(6), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12060629
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/6/629
Cited by 133 | Viewed by 4236

10. “SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19: Viral Genomics, Epidemiology, Vaccines, and Therapeutic Interventions”
by Mohammed Uddin et al.
Viruses 2020, 12(5), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12050526
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/5/526
Cited by 125 | Viewed by 14756

The 2021 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals: