International Journal of Molecular Medicine Special Issues

The Biology and Clinical Utility of Circulating Tumor Cells

Lead Editor:

Peripheral blood and other biological fluids were historically investigated to detect and track cancer and metastatic processes. Traditionally, the studies focus on malignant circulant tumour cells (CTCs) and their molecular fingerprint to evaluate disease status and response to treatments. Liquid biopsy is an immature field of research with an enormous potential to facilitate the diagnosis, anticipate the treatment response and improve the final health care of the cancer patient. Currently, liquid biopsy has a myriad of limitations that should be addressed, such as the quantity and quality of material, the correlation of genetic signatures and patient outcomes, and the optimization of the markers collection and analysis. This Special Issue aims to showcase studies and reviews that engage key issues in liquid biopsy/CTC research, gaps in technology, protocols optimization and normalization, comparison of different markers, and correlation with traditional non-liquid biopsy monitoring. The current Special Issue aims to cover novel research trends in the use of CTC assays/liquid biopsy. We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, Clinical Trial Perspective, and Opinion articles in the biology of CTCs and their clinical utility in all cancer types and settings.

Submission deadline: 02 June 2023

Biological mediators of periodontitis and oral disease: new insights

Lead Editor:

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the periodontium involving interactions between bacterial products, numerous cell populations and inflammatory mediators. It is generally accepted that periodontitis is initiated by complex and diverse microbial biofilms which form on the teeth, i.e. dental plaque. Substances released from this biofilm such as lipopolysaccharides, antigens and other virulence factors, gain access to the gingival tissue and initiate an inflammatory and immune response, leading to the activation of host defence cells. As a result of cellular activation, inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines, arachidonic acid metabolites and proteolytic enzymes, collectively contribute to tissue destruction and bone resorption. The present special issue is aimed at summarising the recent studies on the pathogenesis of periodontitis, with the main focus on inflammatory mediators and their role in periodontal disease. Both pre-clinical and clinical studies are invited to be submitted, as well as narrative or systematic reviews, concerning the characterization of such biomaterials/biological mediators and their clinical applications for the regeneration of intraosseous periodontal defects and furcations, for soft tissue reconstruction (periodontal plastic surgery), for the preservation of post-extraction alveolar sockets and for the reconstruction of lateral and/or vertical bone defects before or contextually to dental implant placement for rehabilitative purposes.

Submission deadline: 30 November 2023

Molecular mechanisms of cellular stress responses in cancer and their therapeutic implications

Lead Editor:

In response to stress, cells can activate a myriad of signalling pathways to bring about a specific cellular outcome, including cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence and apoptosis. This response is pivotal for tumour suppression as all of these outcomes result in restriction of the growth and/or elimination of damaged and pre-malignant cells. Thus, a large number of anti-cancer agents target specific components of stress response signalling pathways with the aim of causing tumour regression by stimulating cell death. However, the efficacy of these agents is often impaired due to mutations in genes that are involved in these stress-responsive signalling pathways and instead the oncogenic potential of a cell is increased leading to the initiation and/or progression of tumourigenesis. Moreover, these genetic defects can increase or contribute to resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and/or radiotherapy. Modulating the outcome of cellular stress responses towards cell death in tumour cells without affecting surrounding normal cells is thus one of the ultimate aims in the development of new cancer therapeutics. To achieve this aim, a detailed understanding of cellular stress response pathways and their aberrations in cancer is required. This special issue aims to reflect the broadness and complexity of this important area of cancer research. We encourage original studies, perspectives and review articles that relate to any aspect of cellular stress responses, from both a molecular and clinical perspective. Topics may include signal transduction pathways and genes/proteins regulating them; different stress stimuli (DNA damage, viruses, metabolic stress, hormones and others); cell cycle checkpoints, DNA repair, autophagy, apoptosis and other forms of cell death; mechanisms of resistance against cytotoxic drugs; novel strategies and drugs that interfere with cellular stress responses; and methods to study cellular stress responses. Articles that focus on a specific type of cancer with known characteristics related to cellular stress responses, for example melanoma or therapy-related cancers are also welcome.

Submission deadline: 17 May 2023

Significance of molecular analyses in the era of personalized tumor therapy

Lead Editor:

The development of modern techniques of molecular biology has led to great progress in better understanding of complex changes during carcinogenesis in basic research, but parallel application in clinical practice has contributed to better diagnosis of tumors. Today, the examination of molecular markers and genetic analyzes is almost unavoidable when making an accurate diagnosis of a tumor, when assessing the prognosis of a disease, as well as for tumor therapy. All this together has contributed to prolonging overall survival and increasing the quality of life of patients with tumors. Therefore, the aim of this special issue is to show the importance of molecular analysis in various types of tumors and to clearly see where we are today and what else can be done to make diagnosis useful in individual therapy and what can be achieved using various techniques and mathematical models of tumor marker analysis in better patient treatment.

Submission deadline: 21 June 2023