Nucleic Acid Recognition and Pharmaceutical Ligand Design
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1161
Special Issue Editors
Interests: supramolecular chemistry; DNA; RNA; molecular recognition; spectroscopy; heterocyclic chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: synthetic organic chemistry; feterocyclic chemistry; DNA; fluorescence; luminescence; absorption; fluorescence imaging; UV-Visible spectroscopy; spectral analysis; spectroscopy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nucleic acid recognition plays a crucial role in the design of pharmaceutical ligands, offering a targeted approach to treating a wide array of genetic and infectious diseases. The selective interaction between nucleic acids and synthetic ligands can inhibit the replication of DNA and its transcription to RNA, modulate gene expression, inhibit viral replication, and correct genetic mutations. Recent advancements in structural biology and computational chemistry have illuminated the specific binding mechanisms of nucleic acids, promoting the development of high-affinity, sequence-specific ligands. These ligands, including small molecules, peptides, and antisense oligonucleotides, are engineered to interact with distinct nucleic acid sequences or structures, such as DNA double helices, including DNA:RNA hybrids, triplex and multistranded nucleic acid structures, RNA folds, aptamers, or G-quadruplexes. This specificity is crucial for minimizing off-target effects and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Moreover, the integration of bioinformatics and high-throughput screening accelerates the identification of promising ligand candidates. However, challenges remain in optimizing the stability, bioavailability, and delivery of these ligands in vivo. Nevertheless, combining innovative design strategies and classical and advanced analytical techniques continues to move the field forward, promising new therapeutic agents for complex genetic and viral pathologies. The synergy of pharmacological ligand design and nucleic acid recognition announces a new era in precise medicine that promises to completely transform the therapeutic options available.
Dr. Marijana Radić Stojković
Dr. Atanas Kurutos
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- nucleic acid recognition
- ligand design
- analytical techniques
- computational chemistry
- therapeutics
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