Drug Discovery from Natural Sources: Animal Venoms, Plants, Bacteria and Fungi

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Background

Through several thousand million years of adaptive evolution venomous animal species, toxic plants, microorganisms have developed a large group of high-affinity and stable natural-based biomolecules, which have now been isolated and identified. Some of these biomolecules possess the ability to specifically bind to human receptors/ligands, which means they have a great potential to be used as novel prototype drug candidates for disease treatments such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes, drug-resistant bacterial infections, etc. In the last two decades, much active biomolecules research has been focused on certain types of distinctive molecular targets on cells, which can be recognized by natural-based biomolecules, to unveil their use in different aspects of clinical prognosis and therapeutic applications. However, the majority of those natural-based prototype drugs entering clinical trials are still struggling due to the fact that their modes of action are not fully identified, and more lab-based and preclinical work needs to be done to further this research direction.



This Research Topic aims to bring together leading researchers to exchange and share their findings on the hot topics of novel identified venom-based, plant-derived, microbial-based natural biomolecules with potent pharmacological activity and their corresponding molecular mechanisms in order to fulfill the gap which is hindering their potential use as novel prototype drug candidates for disease treatments such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and drug-resistant bacterial/viral infections.

The key areas which would discuss in this Research topic including the isolation, structural identification, and activity evaluation of novel antimicrobial biomolecules against ESKAPE pathogens, smooth muscle contractile agonists/antagonists, serine protease inhibitors, and/or anticancer biomolecules, as well as the investigation of their mechanisms for targeted therapies and/or precision treatments, etc.



We welcome all investigators to submit their best research addressing applications of using natural-based biomolecules as a novel prototype drug candidates for disease treatments, for this Research Topic, on the areas of:

• Venom-based biomolecules; including peptides and protease for anticancer, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, diabetes therapy, hypertension treatment, and degenerative disease treatment

• Plant-derived biomolecules; including plant-derived dietary factors, alkaloids, proteins for anticancer, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, diabetes therapy, hypertension treatment, and degenerative disease treatments

• Microbial-based biomolecules; including bacteria- and/or fungi- secondary metabolites for anticancer, antiviral, diabetes therapy, hypertension treatment, and degenerative disease treatment



This Research Topic can include Original Research, Reviews, and Perspectives.



Dr. Kwok and Dr. Chen both hold patents relating to Vasodilator and pro-angiogenic peptides.

Keywords: Natural bioactive compounds, Phytochemicals, Diseases, Diagnosis, Precision treatments, Targeted therapies

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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