In Vitro Models for Toxicological Screening of Novel Therapeutics
A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Novel Methods in Toxicology Research".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 138
Editor
2. Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, ”Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
3. Invitrio Scientific, Măceşti 189, 325501 Moldova Nouă, Romania
Interests: in vitro toxicology; new approach methodologies (NAMs); 2D and 3D in vitro models; bioactive natural compounds; drug derivatives; safety screening; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite the significant effort continuously directed toward the development of novel therapeutics addressing unmet medical needs, many experimental therapies often fail during clinical trial phases due to unexpected adverse effects, while the number of toxic events associated with the use of approved drugs is annually increasing. Hence, new strategies that improve the accuracy of safety evaluations and allow the early identification of drug candidates with unsatisfactory safety profiles are being actively explored. In the context of the wide adoption of new approach methodologies (NAMs), in vitro models have become fundamental to the early-stage toxicological assessment of newly developed therapeutics. Although two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures were conventionally used for the high-throughput screening of drug candidates, their oversimplified representation of physiological conditions has accelerated the transition toward more complex three-dimensional (3D) models (e.g., spheroids, organoids, organ-on-a-chip, etc.), which reconstruct the in vivo cell organization and extracellular micro-environment more accurately. With the latest scientific progress in bioengineering, the complexity of recently designed cell-based models replicates that of multiple organs, providing a better prediction of drug toxicity. As the field continues to broaden, this Special Issue aims to collect outstanding contributions focused on the development of advanced in vitro toxicity models, including both experimental studies and in-depth reviews covering the efficacy, reliability, and applications of such models in the toxicological evaluation of promising therapeutics.
Dr. Iasmina Marcovici
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- 2D in vitro models 3D in vitro models
- new approach methodologies (NAMs)
- in vitro toxicology
- cell-based drug screening
- safety profile
- drug development
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
