Beyond discovery: Translational development of structurally defined natural products

Natural products have historically served as one of the most productive sources of therapeutic agents, inspiring numerous approved drugs across oncology, infectious diseases, immunology, and metabolic disorders. Despite continuous advances in natural product discovery, high-throughput screening, molecular docking, artificial intelligence, and in vitro biological evaluation, only a small fraction of promising isolated and structurally characterized natural compounds successfully progress toward preclinical and clinical candidacy.This Research Topic aims to shift the focus from discovery to translation by highlighting research that advances structurally defined natural products beyond early-stage characterization toward preclinical and translational readiness. Central to this Topic is evidence that a defined natural product’s therapeutic activity is retained or improved as it moves toward clinical candidacy. It will address the scientific and translational challenges that influence the biologically grounded progression of natural products through lead optimization and formulation development, while encouraging studies that integrate pharmacological, computational, and experimental approaches.To gather further insights into the translational development of isolated, defined, and structurally characterized natural products, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Lead optimization and structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of isolated secondary metabolites- Formulation and delivery strategies that preserve or enhance the bioactivity of isolated, structurally characterized natural compounds- Biomarker-driven development and mechanism-of-action studies- AI- and computational-guided optimization integrated with experimental validationIsolation, purification, and analytical standardization of defined natural productsSubmissions focused solely on drug delivery engineering, formulation without accompanying isolation, structural, or bioactivity data, or clinical and regulatory content fall outside this Research Topic’s scope. Topic editors: Hesham Refaat, Omnia Abdelhafez Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84919/beyond-discovery-translational-development-of-structurally-defined-natural-products