Announcements

World Malaria Day, observed annually on 25 April, is a global reminder of the urgent need to stay focused on the fight against malaria—a preventable and treatable disease that still threatens millions of lives, especially in vulnerable communities. Despite considerable progress over the past two decades, malaria continues to take a heavy toll, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where children under five remain at most risk.

The theme for 2025, “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”, is a powerful call to action. It is a strong reminder that the fight against malaria is not over, and that the power to end it lies with all of us.

In recognition of this vital cause, MDPI is spotlighting impactful research across a selection of its journals, highlighting contributions that advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of malaria. Featured journals include Cells, Insects, Journal of Clinical Medicine (JCM), Metabolites, Parasitologia, Pathogens, Pharmaceuticals, Reports, and TropicalMed. By bringing these articles to the forefront, MDPI reaffirms its commitment to open access knowledge and global health equity.

Prof. Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for discovering artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from malaria.

To honor Prof. Tu Youyou’s remarkable contributions and to continue with her achievements, MDPI established the Tu Youyou Award in 2016. This award aims to acknowledge exceptional scholars committed to the research fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

The winners of the 2024 Tu Youyou Award will be announced on 30 April. Visit the award website for the latest updates!

“Blood Source and Anesthetics Effects on the Maintenance of Anopheles darlingi in the Lab-Rearing Condition”
by José Daniel Costa Pontual, Natália Vitória Coelho, Najara Akira Costa dos Santos, Alessandra da Silva Bastos, Jéssica Evangelista Araújo, Alice Oliveira Andrade, Jansen Fernandes Medeiros and Maisa da Silva Araujo
Insects 2025, 16(3), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16030281

“Identification of Bioactive Metabolites of Capirona macrophylla by Metabolomic Analysis, Molecular Docking, and In Vitro Antiparasitic Assays”
by Joseph Evaristo, Elise de Laia, Bruna Tavares, Esdras Mendonça, Larissa Grisostenes, Caroline Rodrigues, Welington do Nascimento, Carolina Garcia, Sheila Guterres, Fábio Nogueira et al.
Metabolites 2025, 15(3), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15030157

“Duplication of a Type-P5B-ATPase in Laverania and Avian Malaria Parasites and Implications About the Evolution of Plasmodium”
by Mark F. Wiser
Parasitologia 2025, 5(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5010006

“Effect of Health Education Intervention on Knowledge and Adherence to Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy Among Women”
by Pauline N. Atser, Gommaa Hayat and Uchenna B. Okafor
Healthcare 2025, 13(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13020105

“Uncovering the Mechanism of Action of Antiprotozoal Agents: A Survey on Photoaffinity Labeling Strategy”
by Alessandro Giraudo, Cristiano Bolchi, Marco Pallavicini, Roberto Di Santo, Roberta Costi and Francesco Saccoliti
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18010028

“Contribution of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies to the Understanding of Cerebral Malaria Pathogenesis”
by Alicia Comino Garcia-Munoz, Isabelle Varlet, Georges Emile Grau, Teodora-Adriana Perles-Barbacaru and Angèle Viola
Pathogens 2024, 13(12), 1042; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13121042

“Prophylaxis Failure and Successful Management of Delayed-Onset Malaria with Renal Complications: A Case Report with Oral Artemether-Lumefantrine Treatment”
by Ilir Tolaj, Gramoz Bunjaku, Murat Mehmeti and Yllka Begolli
Reports 2023, 6(4), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/reports6040053

“Sensitivity Assessment of a Multiplex and Real-Time PCR Protocols for the Detection of Malaria in External Quality Control Samples in the Malaria Reference Center in Greece”
by Nikolaos Tegos, Christos Goumenopoulos, Anastasia Mpimpa, Vasilios Papavasilopoulos, Stavroula Beleri and Eleni Patsoula
Parasitologia 2024, 4(2), 150-161; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia4020013

“Prevention of Malaria in Pregnant Women and Its Effects on Maternal and Child Health, the Case of Centre Hospitalier de Kingasani II in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”
by Japhet Kabalu Tshiongo, Trésor Zola Matuvanga, Patrick Mitashi, Vivi Maketa, Henk D. F. H. Schallig, Petra F. Mens, Hypolite Muhindo Mavoko and Junior Matangila Rika
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(5), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9050092

“An Epidemiological Survey of Malaria Infection in Espírito Santo State, Brazil, from 2007 to 2017”
by Nayna Carvalho Oliveira, Lais Rosa Boscalha, Cinthia Emerich Toledo, Felipe Sarlo Pezzin, Bruno Costanza Cisari, Suellen Rodrigues Maran, Laís Rodrigues Diniz, Pedro Henrique Schultz Corcino Freitas, Adenilton Cruzeiro, Frederico Eutropio et al.
Parasitologia 2023, 3(3), 215-222; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia3030022

“Low Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 and 3 Gene Deletions—A Multiregional Study in Central and West Africa”
by Tina Krueger, Moses Ikegbunam, Abel Lissom, Thaisa Lucas Sandri, Jacques Dollon Mbama Ntabi, Jean Claude Djontu, Marcel Tapsou Baina, Roméo Aimé Laclong Lontchi, Moustapha Maloum, Givina Zang Ella et al.
Pathogens 2023, 12(3), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030455

“Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Malaria Control in Africa: A Preliminary Analysis”
by Liping Gao, Qi Shi, Zhiguo Liu, Zhenjun Li and Xiaoping Dong
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8010067

World Immunization Week, celebrated annually during the last week of April, is a global health awareness initiative highlighting the critical role of vaccines in protecting people of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases.

On this momentous occasion, we are thrilled to present a thoughtfully selected compilation of articles and Special Issues that focus on the pioneering research and cutting-edge strategies in immunology and vaccination. We encourage readers to delve into these scholarly contributions and stand with us in our commitment to preserving and enhancing global immunization health.

Join us as we explore the latest findings and innovative methods that are shaping the future of immunization. Together, we can strive towards a world where every individual has access to the life-saving benefits of vaccines.

We hope that the established journals in the fields of biology life sciences and medicine and pharmacology at MDPI will provide a communication platform for innovative ideas regarding prevention and treatment.

“Lifestyle and Biochemical Parameters That May Hamper Immune Responses in Pediatric Patients After Immunization with the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine”
by Anthie Damianaki, Antonios Marmarinos, Margaritis Avgeris, Dimitrios Gourgiotis, Elpis-Athina Vlachopapadopoulou, Marietta Charakida, Maria Tsolia and Lydia Kossiva
Diseases 2025, 13(3), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13030078

“Evaluating the Potential of Herbal Extracts as Treatment in Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Review of Evidence and Limitations”
by Russell W. Wiggins, Jihoo Woo, John Nicholas Cauba and Shizue Mito
Appl. Biosci. 2025, 4(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/applbiosci4010001

“Immunotherapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Glioblastoma: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives”
by Ilaria Salvato and Antonio Marchini
Cancers 2024, 16(7), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16071276

“Unveiling Extramedullary Hematopoiesis: A Case Report Highlighting the Causes, Symptoms, and Management Strategies”
by Konstantinos Manganas, Aikaterini Xydaki, Angeliki Kotsiafti, Olympia Papakonstantinou and Sophia Delicou
Thalass. Rep. 2024, 14(2), 26-32; https://doi.org/10.3390/thalassrep14020004

“Inhibitors of Immune Checkpoints: Small Molecule- and Peptide-Based Approaches”
by Natalie Fuchs, Longfei Zhang, Laura Calvo-Barreiro, Katarzyna Kuncewicz and Moustafa Gabr
J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14010068

“Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia: Clinicopathologic Features and New Perspectives on Anti-PF4 Antibody-Mediated Disorders”
by Yi Zhang, Anna-Lise Bissola, Jared Treverton, Michael Hack, Mark Lychacz, Sarah Kwok, Addi Arnold and Ishac Nazy
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(4), 1012; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13041012

“Immune Response to Respiratory Viral Infections”
by Antonella Gambadauro, Francesca Galletta, Alessandra Li Pomi, Sara Manti and Giovanni Piedimonte
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(11), 6178; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116178

“Neutrophil Extracellular DNA Traps in Response to Infection or Inflammation, and the Roles of Platelet Interactions”
by William A. Chen and Danilo S. Boskovic
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 3025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25053025

“Host Immune Regulation in Implant-Associated Infection (IAI): What Does the Current Evidence Provide Us to Prevent or Treat IAI?”
by Zulipikaer Maimaiti, Zhuo Li, Chi Xu, Jun Fu, Li-Bo Hao, Ji-Ying Chen and Wei Chai
Bioengineering 2023, 10(3), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10030356

“Airborne Pollen Calendar of Toluca City, Mexico”
by Maria Cid del Prado, Osvaldo Zarco-Cid del Prado, Hilda Adriana Guerrero-Parra and Karla Elisa Juárez Contreras
Aerobiology 2023, 1(1), 54-69; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerobiology1010005

“Innovative Therapies and Management of Complications in Hemoglobinopathies”	“Peptide-Based Vaccines: An Efficient Alternative to Combat Infectious Diseases and Drug Resistance”
“Immunotherapy in the Management of Hematologic Malignancy”	“Feature Review for Applied Biosciences”
“Advances in Transfusion Medicine and Immunological Research”	“Advancements in Artificial Intelligence for Bioaerosol Detection, Characterization, and Modeling”

Conference: 21st Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society (Metabolomics 2025)
Date: 22–26 June 2025
Place: Prague Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic

MDPI will be attending the 21st Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society (Metabolomics 2025) as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 22 to 26 June 2025.

This conference is the official annual meeting of the Metabolomics Society and the largest metabolomics meeting worldwide. The major scientific themes of the conference will include metabolomics in health and disease; metabolomics of plants, food, environment, and microbes; technology advances in metabolomics; and computational metabolomics, statistics, and bioinformatics. Beyond the main topics, the conference will place a particular focus on the increasingly important role that metabolomics plays in fundamental biology research. The scientific program will include plenary and keynote talks, parallel scientific sessions, interactive poster sessions, sponsor lunches, and specially organized workshops.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Metabolites;
• Cells;
• Marine Drugs;
• Proteomes;
• Current Issues in Molecular Biology;
• Nutrients;
• Biomolecules;
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences;
• Diabetology;
• Plants;
• Agronomy;
• Antioxidants;
• Applied Biosciences;
• Biomedinformatics;
• Diseases;
• Foods.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to 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 the following website: https://www.metabolomics2025.org/.

MDPI is pleased to announce our participation in the 62nd ERA Congress, which will be held from 4 to 7 June 2025 in Vienna, Austria.

The 62nd ERA Congress will revolve around the theme of “Game Changers in Nephrology”. The seven main tracks can be explored via the following link: https://www.era-online.org/events/vienna-2025/scientific-programme/.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Kidney and Dialysis;
• Journal of Personalized Medicine;
• Biomedicines;
• Cancers;
• Cells;
• Journal of Clinical Medicine;
• DNA;
• Journal of Molecular Pathology.

If you are attending 62nd ERA Congress, we invite you to visit us at booth X3.380. Our representatives, Mr. Peter Roth and Dr. Jennie Xu, will be available to discuss publishing opportunities, the benefits of open access, and our commitment to advancing geosciences research.

For more information about the conference, please visit its official website: https://www.era-online.org/events/vienna-2025/.

MDPI will be attending the 11th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, which will be held in Helsinki, Finland, from 21 to 24 June 2025. The EAN Congress 2025 is organized by the European Academy of Neurology. Its exciting overarching theme of neurology within society sets the scene for an unforgettable congress and is highly relevant to our practice as neurologists, given our crucial role as clinicians—and in many cases neuroscientists—in addressing the huge burden of neurological disorders. To have an impact, we must work with many other stakeholders and specialties, and we look forward to welcoming many of them to the home of neurology in 2025. As usual, the overarching theme will serve as a common thread throughout all the invited content of our congress, from workshops to plenary sessions.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Brain Sciences;
• JCM;
• CTN;
• Neurology International;
• Neuroglia;
• Cells;
• Diagnostics;
• Neurosci;
• Psychiatry International;
• Antioxidants;
• Biomolecules;
• Genes;
• IJTM;
• Vaccines.

If you plan to attend the conference, please visit our booth #E48. 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.ean.org/congress2025.

MDPI will attend the ISSCR 2025 Annual Meeting in Hong Kong, which will take place from 11 to 14 June 2025 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibit Centre, Hong Kong, China.

Globally recognised for its exceptional scientific program featuring the most compelling advances in stem cell biology, new technologies, and clinical applications, the ISSCR Annual Meeting is a catalyst for new advances at each point in the discovery and clinical translation continuum. Nearly 4,000 leading scientists from academia and industry are invited to this gathering of stem cell and regenerative medicine scientists worldwide—the largest gathering of its kind. Engage with the world’s pre-eminent thought leaders in the field, connect with key industry stakeholders and executives, and forge impactful new partnerships.

MDPI is excited to participate in this prestigious event. We welcome you to visit MDPI’s booth, where you will be able to have face-to-face exchanges with our representatives, learn more about our open access publishing services, and receive gifts.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Biomedicines;
• Biomolecules;
• Cells;
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences;
• Current Issues in Molecular Biology;
• Organoids;
• Neurology International;
• Viruses;
• Emergency Care and Medicine.

If you plan to attend this event, we encourage you to visit our booth and speak to our representatives. We are eager to meet you in person and assist you with any queries that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the official website: https://www.isscr2025.org/.

Conference: Plant Biology Europe 2025

Organization: The Federation of the European Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB) and the Hungarian Society for Plant Biology

Date: 25–28 June 2025

Place: Budapest, Hungary

MDPI journals will be attending Plant Biology Europe 2025 as exhibitors. This meeting will be held at the Budapest Congress Center, Budapest, Hungary, from 25 to 28 June 2025.

The 24th Congress of FESPB will cover both traditional and emerging topics of plant biology across multiple disciplines and scales during the four-day program.

Among the many issues addressed during the meeting, particular emphasis will be placed on challenges caused by climate change since many of these are significant plant stress factors. We are convinced that plant science is green science, and our research can contribute significantly to solving the problems and mitigating the consequences of our changing environment, as well as helping adapt to it.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Plants;
• Agronomy;
• International Journal of Plant Biology (IJPB);
• Current Issues in Molecular Biology (CIMB);
• Horticulturae;
• Epigenomes;
• Genes;
• Proteomes;
• Antioxidants;
• J — Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal;
• Diversity;
• BioTech;
• Cells.

If you will be attending this conference, please feel free to visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Cells 2024 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Cells (ISSN: 2073-4409) Editorial Board and editorial team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Cells. It is due to their efforts that the high quality and quick turnaround of the journal are maintained.

First Prize (one winner):

• CHF 500, a voucher to cover applicable article processing charges (valid for one year);
• An electronic certificate.
  

Winner:
Prof. Dr. Ana Claudia Carreira
¹ University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil;
² Federal University of ABC, Santo André, Brazil.
Research interests: human and animal biotechnology; anatomy; biochemistry and cell therapy; molecular biology and cell biology; analysis of stem cell secretome signaling; gene cloning; genomic editing (CRISPR-Cas9); regulation by microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs; 3D cultivation; production of proteins using different recombinant systems (bacteria, yeast, insect, and mammalian cells), with the additional aim of achieving the functionalization of biomaterials and decellularized extracellular matrices

Second Prize (two winners):

• A voucher to cover applicable article processing charges (valid for one year);
• An electronic certificate.
  

Winners:
Dr. Siyu Shen
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Research interests: bone biology; osteoporosis; osteoarthritis; hematopoiesis; neutrophil; bioengineering; tissue engineering; crosstalk; cell death; liver biology; sports medicine; orthopedics

Dr. Enrico Bracco
¹ University of Turin, Turin, Italy;
² Istituto Nazionale Ricerca Metrologica, Turin, Italy.
Research interests: signal transduction; G-protein; GPCR; ubiquitin; peroxisome; lipid; Dictyostelium

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Cells 2024 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Xianjue Ma.

Dr. Xianjue Ma is an Associate Professor of the School of Life Sciences at Westlake University, Zhejiang, China. Dr. Ma has been working on genetics for more than a decade, focusing on dissecting the molecular mechanisms of signaling transduction and cell communication during tumorigenesis, using Drosophila (fruit fly) cell lines and mouse models by combining genetics with the single-cell technique, developmental biology, cell biology, and biochemistry. Dr. Ma received his bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from Tongji University in 2009 and 2014, respectively. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Medicine of Johns Hopkins University (HHMI) (2014–2015), USA, and Yale University (HHMI) (2015–2019), USA. Dr. Ma has been working as a Principal Investigator at the School of Life Sciences of Westlake University since June 2019. This is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Xianjue Ma on his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Ma will receive an honorarium of CHF 2000, a voucher to fully cover the article processing fees valid for one year in Cells after peer-review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.