Guest Editors
Assoc. Prof. Rengasamy Balakrishnan
Email: balakonkuk@kku.ac.kr
Affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Research Institute of Inflammatory Disease (RID), Konkuk University, Chungju, 27478, South Korea
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Research Interests: dementia, neurodegenerative disease, neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, exercise physiology, healthy aging, nutrition, drug discovery, small molecule synthesis
Dr. Janakiraman Udaiyappan
Email: judaiyappan@smu.edu
Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
Homepage:
Research Interests: neurodegeneration, alzheimer's disease; parkinson's disease, neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, epilepsy
Summary
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis, represent a major global health challenge due to their progressive nature and the lack of effective disease-modifying therapies. While significant advances have been made in understanding the clinical manifestations and genetic underpinnings of these disorders, much remains to be uncovered about the complex cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive their onset and progression. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms is critical for identifying novel therapeutic targets and developing effective interventions.
This Special Issue of BIOCELL aims to highlight recent breakthroughs in deciphering the cellular and molecular pathways underlying neurodegeneration and to foster cross-disciplinary insights that can translate basic research into therapeutic innovation. Contributions exploring the dynamic interplay between cellular homeostasis, molecular dysfunction, and disease pathology are particularly welcome.
Subtopics of Interest include, but are not limited to:
1. Protein misfolding and aggregation: Mechanistic insights into the formation and clearance of pathological protein aggregates, autophagy and proteasome pathways, and chaperone-mediated responses.
2. Mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic alterations: Studies on mitochondrial dynamics, oxidative stress, bioenergetic failure, and metabolic rewiring in neurodegenerative diseases.
3. Neuroinflammation and glial cell dynamics: Cellular and molecular bases of neuroinflammatory processes, microglia and astrocyte activation, and immune modulation in the central nervous system.
4. Neuron-glia interactions: Exploration of bidirectional communication between neurons and glial cells, and their roles in disease progression and neuroprotection.
5. Cell death pathways: Elucidation of regulated cell death modalities, including apoptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, and their contribution to neurodegeneration.
6. RNA metabolism and epigenetic regulation: Investigations into RNA splicing, transport, and degradation, as well as epigenetic modifications impacting gene expression in neural cells.
7. Cell-based therapeutic strategies: Development of stem cell therapies, reprogramming approaches, and regenerative medicine techniques targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
8. Molecularly targeted interventions: Identification and validation of novel molecular targets, drug discovery, gene therapy, and biomarker development aimed at halting or reversing disease progression.
By bringing together cutting-edge research in these areas, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms and accelerate the translation of this knowledge into innovative therapeutic approaches.
Keywords
neurodegeneration, cellular mechanisms, molecular pathways, protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, glial cells, neuron-glia interactions, gut microbiota, gut-brain axis, physical exercise, myokines, small molecule synthesis, molecular targets, therapeutic strategies, biomarker development
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