Call for Papers: Medicinal Chemistry Strategies in Accelerated Drug Discovery—Celebrating Fudan University’s 120th Anniversary

While new technologies and drug targets are emerging at an unprecedented pace, the process of drug discovery remains an extremely challenging and resource-intensive endeavor. Despite significant advances in medicinal chemistry, the ability to rapidly discover and develop novel therapeutic agents still falls short of meeting the growing and evolving demands of modern medicine. New drug discovery is a long, costly, and time-consuming process, often taking years, if not decades, to bring a new therapeutic to market. Overcoming the limitations of current approaches, particularly in terms of speeding up drug development timelines and reducing costs, is one of the most pressing issues facing the pharmaceutical industry today.

Fudan University, located in Shanghai, China, was founded in 1905 and has emerged as a leading force in China’s drug discovery efforts. The university has established an integrated ecosystem that spans target identification, chemical synthesis, and preclinical research. A key innovation in this ecosystem is the development of continuous flow technology, which offers several significant advantages over traditional batch processing. This technology enables the rapid and scalable construction of compound libraries, allowing for high-throughput synthesis and process optimization in real time. Continuous flow also improves reaction efficiency, enhances safety by better controlling exothermic reactions, and reduces waste, making it more environmentally sustainable.

To commemorate the 120th Anniversary of Fudan University, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry will jointly publish a Special Issue entitled: “Medicinal Chemistry Strategies in Accelerated Drug Discovery—Celebrating Fudan University’s 120th Anniversary.” This Special Issue will explore the latest advancements in medicinal chemistry, focusing on how to address these challenges and accelerate the discovery of new drugs. It will highlight new strategies to shorten drug development cycles, lower development costs, and improve the efficiency of the drug discovery process. Scholars, collaborators, and alumni from around the world are invited to contribute to this issue.

Topics include but are not limited to:

• New drug discovery strategies, including AI-driven design, combinatorial chemistry, scaffold hopping, cyclization, and ring-opening strategies to accelerate drug development.
• Innovative synthetic methodologies, such as flow chemistry, radiochemistry, and PET imaging, enabling faster and more efficient compound synthesis.
• Overcoming drug resistance and targeting undruggable molecules through novel approaches.
• New drug screening platforms, such as DNA-encoded libraries (DEL), to streamline compound identification.
• In vivo validation and pharmacokinetic optimization strategies to enhance drug development efficiency.

Organizing Editors

Prof. Shuai Wang, Early Career Board, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
 Fudan University, China

Prof. Fener Chen, Guest Editor
Fudan University, China

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through September 30, 2026. For more information on submission requirements, please visit the Author Guidelines page for either journal:

• Author Guidelines: ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
• Author Guidelines: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry welcomes submissions of Original Articles, Perspectives, and Drug Annotations. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters welcomes submissions of Letters, Notes, 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.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the "Journals" tab.
• Choose ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters or Journal of Medicinal Chemsitry.
• Click "Submit."
• Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “Celebrating Fudan University's 120th Anniversary."

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

• ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters: eic@medchemlett.acs.org
• Journal of Medicinal Chemistry: jmc@jmedchem.acs.org