Celebrating Advances and Future Directions in Natural Products Research

The field of natural products research has long been a cornerstone of scientific inquiry, focusing on the discovery, synthesis, and application of biologically active compounds derived from nature. Despite significant advancements, the field continues to grapple with challenges such as the efficient isolation and purification of complex natural compounds, understanding their biosynthetic pathways, and elucidating their structural and stereochemical properties. Recent studies have made strides in employing computational methods to predict and design novel natural products, yet there remains a gap in fully integrating these methods with traditional experimental approaches. The ongoing debate centers around the balance between computational predictions and empirical validation, highlighting the need for a more cohesive strategy that bridges these methodologies. As the field evolves, there is a pressing need to address these challenges and explore new frontiers in natural product research.

This research topic aims to celebrate the first anniversary of Frontiers in Natural Products by reflecting on the past year's achievements, showcasing ongoing cutting-edge research, and exploring novel developments in the field. The objective is to gain new insights and perspectives on the future of natural products research, encouraging authors to address the greatest challenges within their respective sub-disciplines. By doing so, the research topic seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the evolution, synthesis, and functions of natural products, as well as the computational methods used in their discovery.

To gather further insights in the evolution and future directions of natural products research, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Biological Activities of Natural Products
- Informatics and Computational Methods
- Isolation and Purification
- Natural Product Biosynthesis
- Structural and Stereochemical Analysis

All article types are welcomed, with a particular emphasis on Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Perspectives, to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future potential of the field.