Dear Colleagues,                

Antibiotics are the drugs of choice for treatment of and prophylaxis against pathogenic infections. The discovery and clinical application of antibiotics have greatly reduced the rates of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. However, the widespread and improper overuse of these molecules has caused the rise of drug-resistant pathogens. The evolution of resistant microbes has markedly reduced the overall potency of antibiotics. The recurring development of drug-resistant pathogens is a growing concern, which may create a post-antibiotic era that would compromise many of the medical advancements made in the past decades. It has been estimated that approximately 30 million individuals will die due to drug-resistant pathogens by the middle of this century. Hence, researchers have prioritized the discovery and development of new antibiotics or antibiotic alternatives for clinical applications. In this regard, marine antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are thought to be one of the most promising classes of molecules for the development of alternatives to existing antibiotics. Marine AMPs are active molecules from nature’s arsenal that possess significant biocidal activity against a variety of non-resistant and resistant pathogens. Marine organisms produce many AMPs that may have unexpected applications and functions, which make them good candidates for use in promoting human, animal, and plant health or in the pursuit of basic scientific knowledge. The mechanisms governing the function of marine AMPs, such as those regarding evolution, endocrinology, immunology, etc., are largely unknown.

For this Special Issue, we aim to collect original research articles about AMPs from marine organisms, such as fish, shellfish, algae, abalone, coral, etc. Detailed research reports on the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-sepsis, anti-tumor, anti-parasite, and other activities of marine AMPs are welcome for submission. The manuscripts may study AMPs from either a basic science (molecular mechanisms) or an applied science (translation science) perspective; both aquatic science and medical science submissions are welcome. Important findings of novel biological functions of marine AMPs will be especially exciting to the readers and the editor. If you use marine AMPs in any research context, we would greatly appreciate receiving your related submission. We hope the research results on marine AMPs published in this Special Issue will help to stimulate a new era for the improvement of human life and knowledge.

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. Marine Drugs 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.

• Marine antimicrobial peptide
• Drug-resistant
• Antimicrobial activity
• Anti-tumor
• Anti-parasite
• Aquatic research
• Medical research