Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Peptides in Anti-Cancer Treatments
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 22
Special Issue Editors
Interests: peptides; anticancer peptide; peptide biomarkers; target theraphy; antigen delivery; cancer vaccine; antimicrobial peptides; cell penetrating peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: peptides; liposomes; delivery systems; targeting peptides; radiolabeled peptides; aggregating peptides; peptide gels; peptide nanogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, which undergo unlimited division and spread to diverse body sites through metastasis. The main challenge in cancer treatment is to target cancerous cells while preserving healthy tissues.
Despite progress in drug discovery, most treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone treatments, have remained largely unchanged in recent years. Additionally, drug resistance often arises due to issues like abnormalities in drug transporters, detoxifying enzymes, or defects in DNA repair and cell death pathways. In the search for new cancer drugs, the development of small molecules has been a key focus. However, unforeseen off-target effects of these molecules have highlighted the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. A new class of anti-cancer agents based on peptides offers several advantages in terms of effectiveness and safety. These small molecules, modeled after natural proteins, are cost-effective to produce and can be easily modified. Peptides are useful in both cancer diagnostics and treatment, providing tumor-specific targeting, a reduced risk of resistance, and lower toxicity compared to traditional therapies.
This Special Issue aims to present a collection of research papers, reviews, and communications focused on the discovery and development of anti-cancer drugs based on peptides, along with potential therapeutic targets for various cancer types.
Dr. Anna Lucia Tornesello
Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Morelli
Guest Editors
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.
Keywords
- anticancer peptides
- antimicrobial peptides
- cell-penetrating peptides
- therapeutic peptides
- cancer vaccine
- theranostics
- peptidomimetics
- anticancer drugs
- metal–peptide drugs
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.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
