Peptides and Small Molecules as Anti-Cancer Agents II

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, causing an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. There is an urgent need to develop novel cancer drugs that selectively suppress cancer cells and limit their chemoresistance as well as the relapse after treatment and the establishment of secondary malignancies. Cancer cells are characterized by the aberrant activation of growth signaling pathways and by the expression of molecules and receptors recognized by specific proteins or peptides. Thus, synthetic peptides and peptide-based small molecules represent an attractive class of molecules for use to design new drugs, lead compounds, drug carriers, and excipients.

Recent developments in peptide chemistry and high-throughput screening platforms have generated enthusiasm and interest in the design and discovery of novel moieties for use in a broad range of biological and pharmacological applications. Advances in peptide and small-molecule engineering have helped researchers to overcome several limitations in the field, such as poor systemic stability, rapid clearance, and low binding affinities to biological targets.

Nanotechnologies, providing enzymatic protection and controlled release of peptides or small molecules and comprising minimum active peptides, represent optimal strategies for the targeted delivery of bioactive drugs to specific tissues. Moreover, the conjugation of peptides to nanovector surfaces carrying conventional chemotherapeutic agents can be useful for the selective delivery and killing of tumor cells. Peptide-based drugs will therefore have a significant impact in the near future on the treatment of many varieties of tumor.

We welcome the submission of research and review articles on the advances in and opportunities of peptide-based drugs and peptide delivery systems in oncology. Our aim in launching this Special Issue of Molecules is to bring together expert opinions and new advances from across the field.

Dr. Anna Lucia Tornesello
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• peptides
• peptide nucleic acid (PNA)
• theranostics
• small molecules
• nanoparticles
• peptide drugs
• lead compounds
• peptidomimetics
• synthetic anticancer peptides
• cell-penetrating peptides
• radiolabeled peptides
• oncology

• Peptides and Small Molecules as Anti-Cancer Agents in Molecules (5 articles)