Peptide-Based Drug and Drug Delivery Systems
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioorganic Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 9368
Special Issue Editor
Interests: peptide synthesis; peptide catalysis; peptide drugs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Peptides are gaining increasing interest as potential therapeutics, especially in clinical fields where classical small molecules have, to date, not been successful. Although they face challenges such as short half and shelf lives due to proteolytic cleavage and fast kidney clearance, they bear advantages over small molecule drugs as they are potentially less toxic and more selective. Additionally, due to their selective binding, peptides can be used as shuttle systems to target drugs to certain diseased sites, thereby reducing systemic side effects. This Special Issue aims at compiling new and exciting insights into the prosperous field of peptide-based drug and delivery systems, including synthesis and biomedical evaluation of both peptidic drugs and peptide–drug conjugates for targeted delivery. Researchers are welcome to contribute any work dedicated to the synthesis as well as biological and therapeutic evaluation of peptides and peptide–drug conjugates. The following topics and key words may serve as orientation:
- Therapeutic applications of peptides (antimicrobial peptides, cancer treatment, vaccination, but also new applications);
- Enhancing peptide–drug bioavailability (stabilization against renal clearance and proteolytic degradation);
- Dual-functional peptides;
- Peptide diagnostics and theranostics (e.g., PET tracers, radionuclide therapy) and peptide-based reporters;
- Drug shuttle systems crossing membrane barriers;
- Self-assembling peptides;
- Nanoparticles, liposomes, peptide dendrimers, peptide hydrogels;
- Cell- and nucleus-targeting peptides;
- Chemical synthesis and conjugation techniques (biorthogonal coupling techniques);
- Drug release strategies (cleavable linkers, masking, etc.);
- Endosomal release strategies.
Dr. Kathrin Bellmann-Sickert
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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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.
Keywords
- Peptide drugs
- Peptide diagnostics
- Peptide theranostics
- Peptide bioavailability
- Drug shuttling
- Peptide nanoparticles
- Dual-active peptides
- Self-assembling peptides
- Peptide drug release
