This Special Issue will showcase breakthroughs in combating viral resistance, persistent infections, and emerging viral threats. Submit your manuscript by September 30, 2026.

Read the Editorial
An Abstract scientific illustration showing green virus‑like particles interacting with orange molecular structures against a black background.

Rapidly evolving viral pathogens continue to pose a profound threat to global public health, as chronic and emerging infections, and resurgent vaccine‑preventable diseases grow in scale and complexity. Factors such as globalization, climate change, and high viral mutation rates intensify transmission and accelerate the emergence of drug resistance, while persistent infections like HIV and HBV remain difficult to cure due to latent reservoirs and durable viral genomes. At the same time, expanding outbreaks of arboviruses and highly pathogenic respiratory viruses highlight the urgent need for innovative antiviral therapeutics that can overcome long‑standing limitations of traditional drug development.

This joint Special Issue between ACS Infectious Diseases, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry aims to spotlight advances across medicinal chemistry, structural biology, bioinorganic chemistry, pharmacology, and computational and AI‑driven design. Together, these contributions aim to accelerate the discovery of next‑generation antiviral agents, deepen mechanistic understanding, and bridge basic research with translational impact in the fight against current and emerging viral threats.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Mechanisms of Antiviral Drug Resistance
  • Anti-Resistance Antiviral Drugs
  • Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs
  • Common Host Targets for Viral Infections
  • Construction of Drug Screening Models for Major Respiratory Infectious Diseases
  • Novel Strategies and Technologies for Antiviral Drug Research
  • Application of Computational Chemistry and AI in Antiviral Drug Research
  • Structural Biology and Discovery/Validation of Novel Antiviral Drug Targets
  • Preclinical Evaluation and Translation of Antiviral Drug Candidates

For more information on this Special Issue, read our joint Editorial. Submit your manuscript by September 30, 2026.

Organizing Editors

Peng Zhan, Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Shandong University, China

Stefano Alcaro, Guest Editor
Magna Græcia University, Italy

Scott Pegan, Associate Editor, ACS Infectious Diseases
University of California Riverside, United States

Craig W. Lindsley, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, United States

Jayanta Haldar, Editor-in-Chief, ACS Infectious Diseases
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India

Kelly Chibale, Editor-in-Chief, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
University of Cape Town, South Africa

Christa E. Müller, Editor-in-Chief, ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
University of Bonn, Germany

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through September 30, 2026. Please visit the relevant journal’s Author Guidelines page for more information on submission requirements.

View Author Guidelines:

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include research articles, drug annotations, letters, microperspectives, notes, perspectives, reviews, technical notes, and viewpoints. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

Open Access: There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

How to Submit

  • Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
  • Select the "Journals" tab.
  • Choose your preferred journal (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, ACS Infectious Diseases, or ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science.)
  • Click "Submit."
  • Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of Antiviral Drugs."

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact:

Ready to Submit? Begin Here

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