About this Research Topic

Background

There is an urgent need for the discovery of new drugs against infectious diseases and cancer. Globally, infectious diseases are prevalent, with pathogens constantly evolving, leading to a rise in drug-resistant strains. This necessitates the development of new antimicrobial agents capable of overcoming resistance. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for rapid drug development against emerging infectious diseases. Cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide, presents challenges due to its complexity and diversity, and the unique genetic profiles of patients. The American Cancer Society notes increasing cancer rates, underscoring the need for more effective, targeted therapies. In this context, heterocyclic compounds in natural and medicinal chemistry are promising for their structural diversity and reactivity, showing potential in treating infections and cancer by targeting specific cell lines and pathways.

This Research Topic focuses on the advancements and applications of heterocyclic compounds, emphasizing their significance in modern medicinal chemistry. The goal is to delve into the multifaceted applications of heterocyclic compounds in addressing two of the most pressing health challenges: infectious diseases and cancer. The core issue this research addresses is the increasing resistance to traditional treatments in infectious diseases and the intricacies of cancer treatment, complicated by its genetic diversity and adaptability. To tackle these issues, this Research Topic aims to gather and showcase cutting-edge research on the isolation, design, synthesis, and application of heterocyclic compounds. Heterocyclic compounds are known for their structural diversity and unique biological properties, offering promising avenues for developing novel therapeutics. Recent advances in this field have demonstrated the potential of heterocyclic compounds to produce more targeted and effective treatments with fewer side effects. By collating research on novel heterocyclic compounds, their mechanisms of action, and their clinical applications, this Research Topic seeks to contribute to the development of next-generation drugs. It aims to foster a deeper understanding of how these compounds interact with biological systems, overcome resistance mechanisms in pathogens, and target specific pathways in cancer cells. The ultimate aim is to advance medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, leading to novel treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. This Research Topic aims to collect important advancements made in the field of medicinal and natural product chemistry including the isolation, design, synthesis and applications of potential heterocyclic compounds as potential anti-infective and anticancer agents.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Heterocyclic compounds with potential anti-infective and anticancer properties.
• Bioactivity-guided isolation and characterization of heterocyclic secondary metabolites from natural sources with potential anti-infective and anticancer properties.
• Semi-synthesis and characterization of novel heterocyclic compounds with significant anti-infective and anticancer activity.
• Design and synthesis of promising anti-infective and anticancer lead molecules using medicinal, synthetic and computational chemistry approaches.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Bioactive heterocyclic compounds, Medicinal chemistry, Anti-infective agents, Anticancer agents, Natural product chemistry, Computational chemistry, Synthesis and Semi-synthesis, Drug Design, Drug Discovery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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