Phase Separation in Molecular and Cellular Biology

Dear Colleagues,

The last decade has witnessed remarkable technical advances and scientific breakthroughs that have enhanced our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of phase separation in cell biology. The creation of two distinct phases from a single homogeneous mixture of molecules provides a novel theoretical framework to understand a variety of cellular processes. These include the formation of oncogenic signalling complexes and organization of non-membrane bound compartments involved in neurodegeneration. Notably, findings emerging from phase separation studies might inspire design of novel biomaterials.

This Special Issue, entitled “Phase separation in molecular and cellular biology,” focuses on the broad topic of molecular and cellular basis of phase separation. We welcome original scientific reports, research articles, communications, and reviews that illustrate how phase separation originates, evolves, and how its misregulation leads to cellular dysfunction. We seek to also highlight technological progresses, current challenges, and perspectives in unravelling the role of phase separation in biomaterial and drug design. We hope to feature articles that overview this exciting and interdisciplinary research area.

Dr. Carlo Cosimo Campa
Prof. Andrea Gamba
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• phase separation,
• surfactants,
• polymers,
• drugs,
• membrane-less organelle,
• cell signaling,
• biophysics,
• biomaterial