As a result of recent advances in MEMS/NEMS and systems biology, as well as the emergence of synthetic bacteria and lab/process-on-a-chip techniques, it is now possible to design chemical “circuits”, custom organisms, micro/nanoscale swarms of devices, and a host of other new systems at small length scales, and across multiple scales (e.g., micro to macro). This success opens up a new frontier for interdisciplinary signaling techniques using chemistry, biology, novel electron transfer, and other principles not previously examined.

Scope

    This journal is devoted to the principles, design, and analysis of signaling and information systems that use physics beyond conventional electromagnetism, particularly for small-scale and multi-scale applications. This includes: molecular, quantum, and other physical, chemical and biological (and biologically-inspired) techniques; as well as new signaling techniques at these scales.

    As the boundaries between communication, sensing and control are blurred in these novel signaling systems, research contributions in a variety of areas are invited. Original research articles on one or more of the following topics are within the scope of the journal: mathematical modeling, information/communication-theoretic or network-theoretic analysis, networking, implementations and laboratory experiments, systems biology, data-starved or data-rich statistical analyses of biological systems, industrial applications, biological circuits, biosystems analysis and control, information/communication theory for analysis of biological systems, unconventional electromagnetism for small or multi-scale applications, and experiment-based studies on information processes or networks in biology. Contributions on related topics would also be considered for publication.

Special Issue on Bio-Inspired Communication and Information Processing for Self-Organized Living Systems
Submission Date: 2026-02-28

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 28 February 2026
First Notification: 31 March 2026
Acceptance Notification: 30 April 2026
Final Manuscript Due: 31 May 2026
Publication Date: September 2026

Scope

Biological systems process and exchange information through diverse mechanisms that enable adaptive and self-organizing behaviors across molecular, sub-cellular, cellular, and multicellular scales. These phenomena span multiple structural and organizational levels, from molecular motors and communicating bio-nanomachines to microbial collectives and synthetic cells, revealing principles of coordination and organization without centralized control.

Research on bio-inspired information processing and communication has progressed from theoretical modeling to computational and experimental realization. Molecular communication has been explored not only in engineered molecular communication systems but also in natural microbial collectives and synthetic minimal cells, revealing life-like mechanisms of coordination and signaling that bridge biological and artificial domains.

This interdisciplinary field demands expertise in biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, and computer science to connect molecular interactions with system-level functions. Modeling complex biological processes, designing reliable communication architectures, and integrating theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches require close collaboration.

This Special Issue advances bio-inspired information processing and communication toward understanding and engineering self-organized living systems. It welcomes theoretical, computational, and experimental studies linking molecular, cellular, and synthetic systems to reveal principles of life-like organization.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

    Modeling and simulation of molecular and cellular communication processes
    Diffusion-based and reaction-diffusion mechanisms for spatial organization
    Collective information processing and adaptive behavior in microbial or cellular systems
    Experimental studies of bio-nanomachine communication and control
    Synthetic or minimal cells exhibiting communication or self-organization
    Hybrid biological‚ synthetic communication networks
    Machine-learning and data-driven analysis of biological communication
    Pattern formation and morphogenetic dynamics in bio-inspired systems
    Bio-inspired algorithms and architectures for distributed decision-making
    Applications in nanotechnology, robotics, and biomedical systems

Special Issue on Cross-Disciplinary Molecular and Biological Communications: From Nanoscale Mechanisms to Intelligent Multi-Scale Networks
Submission Date: 2026-04-01

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 April 2026
First Notification: 1 June 2026
Acceptance Notification: 31 August 2026
Final Manuscript Due: 15 September 26
Publication Date: December 2026

Scope

The rapid evolution of intelligent communication networks that interacts with natural biological systems increasingly depends on the seamless exchange of information across molecular, biological, and electromagnetic domains, spanning multiple spatial, temporal, and functional scales, from nanoscale biochemical interactions to large-scale networked infrastructures. These multi-scale molecular and biological communication systems are expected to play a critical role in shaping future network architectures, as they provide the fundamental mechanisms that enable information flow between the physical, biological, and cyber domains. Such systems will become an essential part of future intelligent networks, supporting transformative applications in precision medicine, environmental monitoring, human-machine symbiosis, bio-cyber-physical systems, and the next-generation Internet of Things.

At the molecular and biological scales, information transmission relies on physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms that operate in complex and dynamic environments, such as within living tissues or cellular networks. At larger scales, electromagnetic communication technologies provide high-speed, high-capacity connectivity between biological entities, sensors, and cyber-physical infrastructures. Bridging these domains requires new theoretical foundations, multi-scale architectures, and intelligent algorithms that ensure reliable, secure, and energy-efficient communication across vastly different scales and modalities.

This Special Issue aims to foster cross-disciplinary research that integrates insights from communication engineering, bioengineering, computer science and engineering, materials science, and related fields to address the foundational, algorithmic, architectural, and experimental challenges of multi-scale molecular and biological communications. We particularly encourage contributions that link nanoscale biological mechanisms with large-scale intelligent network infrastructures, advancing both fundamental understanding and practical technologies for future bio-cyber communication systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    Multi-scale architectures integrating molecular, biological, and electromagnetic communication domains
    Cross-domain communication interfaces, including molecular-THz, molecular–RF, biological–optical, and other hybrid modalities
    Molecular and biological communication mechanisms, modeling, and information-theoretical analysis across scales
    Multi-scale channel modeling and signal processing for heterogeneous nano-to-macro networks
    AI/machine learning-enabled algorithms, including federated learning, digital twins, and generative models, for multi-scale system optimization
    Experimental platforms and testbeds demonstrating molecular, biological, and cross-scale communication concepts
    Security, privacy, and trust frameworks for multi-domain and bio-cyber communication systems
    Energy-efficient modulation, coding, and synchronization schemes for multi-scale networks
    Protocols, standards, and interoperability frameworks bridging molecular, biological, and macro communication layers
    Interdisciplinary applications in medicine, robotics, environmental sensing, agriculture, and human–machine interfaces

Special Issue on AI-Powered Frontiers in Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communication
Submission Date: 2026-10-01

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 October 2026
First Round of Reviews Completed: 15 December 2026
Revised Manuscripts Due: 15 February 2027
Final Decisions Communicated: 1 April 2027
Final Manuscripts Due: 1 May 2027
Publication Date (Tentative): Third Quarter 2027

Scope

The field of molecular, biological, and multi-scale communications is undergoing a paradigm shift. Specifically, it moves beyond classical information theory, and it becomes capable of engineering communication systems within biological environments, designing synthetic organisms for targeted therapies, and deploying swarms of nanomachines for intricate sensing tasks. Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) and advanced molecular communication paradigms are attracting great attention in multiple in-field applications. However, these systems are characterized by unprecedented complexity, inherent stochasticity, and non-linear dynamics, which introduce significant challenges for traditional modeling, analysis, and control techniques.

Concurrently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have emerged as transformative tools capable of identifying complex patterns and making intelligent decisions in data-rich, uncertain environments. The integration of advanced AI into the molecular and biological communication systems represents a pivotal, yet largely unexplored, field of research. Applying AI-driven techniques promises to unlock solutions to long-standing challenges in signal decoding, system control, and network orchestration at the micro and nano scales, heralding a new era of intelligent bio-compatible systems.

This Special Issue aims to bring together leading researchers from the disparate fields of communications engineering, computer science, and systems biology to explore the transformative potential of AI in molecular, biological, and multi-scale communication. Our objective is to create a landmark collection of works that define the state-of-the-art and illuminate the future trajectory of this exciting interdisciplinary domain. We seek high-quality, original research that addresses the fundamental challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI and non-conventional communication systems.

The scope is intentionally broad, inviting contributions that range from novel theoretical frameworks and advanced algorithmic designs to innovative system implementations and experimental validations. Topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to:

    Deep Learning for Signal Processing and Information Decoding in Molecular Communication Channels
    Reinforcement Learning for Autonomous Control and Navigation of Bio-Nano-Machine Swarms
    AI-Driven Design and Optimization of Synthetic Biological Circuits and Signaling Pathways
    Federated and Distributed Learning for Collaborative Sensing in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT)
    Physics-Informed and Biologically-Inspired Machine Learning for Modeling Multi-Scale Systems
    Generative AI for Creating Novel Molecular Information Encoding and Decoding Schemes
    Adversarial AI for Security Analysis: Modeling and Mitigating Threats in Intra-Body Networks
    Machine Learning for End-to-End Design of Drug Delivery and Diagnostic Systems
    Data-Driven and Causal Analysis of Information Processing in Cellular and Neural Systems
    Information-Theoretic and Performance Limits of AI-Enhanced Biological Communication Systems