About this Research Topic
System biology approaches at the cellular, molecular or genetic level may provide disease modifying drug developers for neurodegenerative diseases with proper tools to tackle current bottlenecks in successful market approval of a beneficial drug in Alzheimers, Parkinsons, or Huntingtons diseases. Drug development in neurodegenerative diseases has largely failed due to the lack of understanding of the dynamic interactions occurring within cells, and in the whole body, between the pathophysiological mechanisms identified to be associated with disease progression. More pragmatically, this lack of knowledge has resulted in a shortage of translatable models useful for drug selection. Finally, there also is a lack of proper diagnostics to intervene at stages of the disease when therapeutic activity may become beneficial. System biology focuses on interactive systems capable of eco- auto-reorganization to fulfill an equifinality. Mitochondrial reticular network is one such system. Using its dynamical interactive organization or other technologies such as protein cycling, within patient-derived cells may provide important and pragmatic tools for drug developers. In this issue, several such approaches will be reported and compiled to provide an overview of the contributions in the field of system biology that may halt or even cure neurodegenerative diseases in the future.
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