Dear Colleagues,

Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, necessitating innovative approaches to improve patient outcomes. In recent years, targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis has witnessed remarkable advancements driven by small molecules. These compounds offer promising avenues for precise cancer treatment and accurate disease detection, providing personalized and effective interventions. This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest developments in small molecule-based approaches for targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis and addresses the associated challenges. In particular, it will provide insights into the design, synthesis, and characterization of small molecules, including inhibitors, activators, modulators, and imaging agents. Emphasis will be placed on their mechanisms of action, molecular interactions, and potential for targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis.

Topics of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Rational design and synthesis of small molecules targeting specific oncogenic targets, such as kinases, receptors, and transcription factors.
• Small molecules as modulators of immune responses in cancer immunotherapy.
• Application of small molecules in combination therapies to overcome drug resistance.
• Strategies for targeted drug delivery utilizing small molecule conjugates or nanocarriers.
• Computational modeling and virtual screening techniques for the design of small molecules with enhanced selectivity and potency.
• Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations in small molecule-based cancer therapy and diagnosis.
• Small molecule-based imaging agents for cancer diagnosis, including optical, radioactive, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes.
• Development of theranostic agents in cancers.

This Special Issue aims to bring together researchers from diverse disciplines to present their cutting-edge research, share insights, and foster collaborations. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the translation of small molecule-based approaches into clinical applications, thereby improving the lives of cancer patients. We invite researchers to contribute their research articles or reviews to this Special Issue.

Dr. Francesca Musumeci
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. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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.

• small molecules
• cancer therapy
• cancer diagnosis
• targeted therapy
• theranostic agents