About this Research Topic
Due to the striking clinical features of individuals affected by HCTD, investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms allows to reveal fundamental pathways in embryonic development and postnatal tissue homeostasis. This research is not only required for the development of new therapeutic avenues for affected individuals, but also to tackle challenges of general medicine in age-related diseases accompanied by connective tissue degeneration and failed remodelling.
The goal of this Research Topic is to shed light on the most recent advances in molecular and genetics studies on HCTD (collagenopathies, fibrillinopathies and related disorders) and on the development of new cutting-edge treatments. We anticipate that this Research Topic will constitute an invaluable resource for non-clinical and clinical scientists committed to the study of the ECM and those with interests in diseases and biological processes influenced by the ECM. We welcome original articles, case reports offering novelty and more than incremental advances to the field and instructive review articles addressing the following topics:
- Discovery of novel genes and mutations
- Basic and translational research using different animal and cellular models
- Genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic studies
- Pathophysiological mechanisms of HCTD, including structural and biomechanical mechanisms of the ECM
- Development of new treatments or repurposing of drugs used in a more personalized manner
- ECM in growth factor regulation
- ECM as stem cell niche
Keywords: extracellular matrix, heritable connective tissue disorders, tissue microenvironments, collagenopathies, fibrillinopathies
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.