Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Functions, Implications and Perspectives

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Background

The prevalence of most neurodegenerative diseases increases with age, and the lack of effective treatment options continues to increase the number of patients. While current advances of screening new therapeutic targets are emerging, new strategies are needed to prevent and treat the major neurodegenerative diseases to improve human health. Such strategies include, but are not limited to RNA therapy, pharmacological intervention of downstream pathways of ion channels or direct interaction with channel receptors. The sophisticated regulatory network between the biomolecules involved in pathological development of neurodegenerative diseases challenges the efficacy and efficiency in clinical conditions while providing insights into diagnosis and therapeutic potentials.

Under normal conditions, a dynamic balance between molecules is maintained. Dysregulation of such a regulatory network disrupts this balance, which can significantly contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. These molecules include coding and noncoding RNAs, ion channels, and the up or downstream signaling pathways of each of them. Targeting such molecules might serve as potential therapeutic approaches or as biomarkers for early diagnosis purposes. While the traditional field of exploring therapeutic strategies of treating neurodegenerative diseases mainly lies in the intervention of specific protein (structures), we would like to contribute to this field by providing new regulatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic possibilities to achieve a better understanding of physiological and pathological developments of the brain.

The focus of this Research Topic is on discussing new functions of molecules in neurodegenerative diseases and prospecting their potentials as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Submissions that address the most recent advances in describing functions, functional mechanisms, and limitations of the current state of RNA therapy studies (coding or noncoding RNAs, including circRNA, miRNA, lncRNA), ion channel studies, or pharmacological intervention strategies are encouraged. The discussion of challenges in using specific RNA molecules or ion channels as diagnostic and therapeutic tools and proposing future research directions are highly welcomed. While original research articles would be the main focus of this Topic, review articles with overviews and novel prospectives are welcome.

Keywords: RNA Therapy, Noncoding RNAs, Ion Channels, Biomarker, Pharmacology, Therapeutic Targets, Neurodegenerative Diseases

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.

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