Modern scientific and technological advancements have increased the life expectancy of individuals contributing to the growing prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington disease (HD), Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others. These disorders can be extremely debilitating to individuals and their caregivers and are a challenge to our society. Recent global reports estimate that around 50 million people suffer from AD and other forms of dementia, over 10 million from PD, and over 330,000 from ALS; thus, there is an urgent need for early intervention.
The past 20 years have seen a surge in genetic and genomic studies using animal and cellular models that have been instrumental in providing insights into the etiology, development, genetic basis, and underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of NDDs. These disorders manifest diverse cellular perturbations, including progressive neuronal damage, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death which cumulatively results in significant cognitive impairments along with deficits in mobility, strength, and coordination. While animal and cellular models have proven to be excellent surrogates, there are still gaps in our knowledge that impede the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions.
This Research Topic is centered on the recent advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular pathways underlying NDDs, challenges in the translation of these studies, and the gaps in our knowledge. Studies can be focused on animal models, cellular models, and 3D organoid approaches.
We encourage a wide variety of articles presenting new insights into the etiopathology, biomarkers, underlying mechanisms, and potential therapeutics for NDDs. Specifically, we welcome Original Research, Methods, Review, Perspective, and other articles, including but not limited to the following focus areas:
1. Genetic basis, cellular and molecular mechanisms – Pathways and Biomarkers
2. Multi-omics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, metabolomics –Biomarker Discovery for early diagnostics and novel therapeutics
3. Translational studies using diverse animal models - flies, worms, rodents, minipigs, non-human primates; cellular models; 3D organoids
4. Reverse translational models
5. Meta-analytical studies - Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning using the available datasets
6. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping
Modern scientific and technological advancements have increased the life expectancy of individuals contributing to the growing prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington disease (HD), Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others. These disorders can be extremely debilitating to individuals and their caregivers and are a challenge to our society. Recent global reports estimate that around 50 million people suffer from AD and other forms of dementia, over 10 million from PD, and over 330,000 from ALS; thus, there is an urgent need for early intervention.
The past 20 years have seen a surge in genetic and genomic studies using animal and cellular models that have been instrumental in providing insights into the etiology, development, genetic basis, and underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of NDDs. These disorders manifest diverse cellular perturbations, including progressive neuronal damage, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death which cumulatively results in significant cognitive impairments along with deficits in mobility, strength, and coordination. While animal and cellular models have proven to be excellent surrogates, there are still gaps in our knowledge that impede the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions.
This Research Topic is centered on the recent advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular pathways underlying NDDs, challenges in the translation of these studies, and the gaps in our knowledge. Studies can be focused on animal models, cellular models, and 3D organoid approaches.
We encourage a wide variety of articles presenting new insights into the etiopathology, biomarkers, underlying mechanisms, and potential therapeutics for NDDs. Specifically, we welcome Original Research, Methods, Review, Perspective, and other articles, including but not limited to the following focus areas:
1. Genetic basis, cellular and molecular mechanisms – Pathways and Biomarkers
2. Multi-omics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, metabolomics –Biomarker Discovery for early diagnostics and novel therapeutics
3. Translational studies using diverse animal models - flies, worms, rodents, minipigs, non-human primates; cellular models; 3D organoids
4. Reverse translational models
5. Meta-analytical studies - Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning using the available datasets
6. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping
