Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Wound Healing

Dear Colleagues,

Normal wound healing in postnatal skin is a complex process, involving many different stages and cell types as well as numerous signalling molecules and pathways, which aim to restore skin structure and function.  However, abnormalities in these processes can cause significantly impaired or excessive wound healing, culminating in clinical situations such as non-healing chronic wounds and dermal fibrosis, respectively.

Chronic wounds, such as venous and diabetic ulcers, are a major cause of disability and patient morbidity, particularly amongst ever-increasing ageing and type II diabetes patient populations. Excessive dermal scarring (fibrosis) is another largely unmet clinical need, usually occurring as a consequence of surgery, trauma or burn injuries. Consequently, both conditions pose significant challenges to healthcare services worldwide, confounded by current acceptance that existing therapies are largely unsatisfactory in their treatment.

Although much is now known regarding the cell and molecular changes which mediate the pathophysiology of these aberrant healing outcomes, novel roles for particular genes, proteins and signalling pathways in these processes are ever emerging.  Furthermore, by understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying regenerative tissue scenarios associated with rapid healing and minimal scarring, such as those established for early-gestational foetal skin, oral mucosa and unique mammalian models of tissue regeneration, such as Acomys cahirinus, it may be possible to gain insights leading to the development of new therapeutic approaches for the prevention or improved treatment of these conditions.

This Special Issue of Biomolecules seeks manuscripts that provide new insights on 1) the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in normal dermal wound healing and scarring; 2) the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with aberrant healing situations in the skin, such as non-healing chronic wounds or dermal fibrosis; 3) the cellular and molecular mechanisms in privileged wound healing scenarios, such as foetal skin and oral mucosa; and 4) the development of novel treatment strategies aiming to enhance wound healing responses or minimise scarring in the skin.

We encourage scientists working in this area of research to submit original research articles or critical reviews that synthesize the current research literature and discuss emerging directions. Thus, these studies will contribute to the development of therapeutic interventions that target the mechanisms of dermal injury and wound repair.

Dr. Ryan Moseley
Dr. Robert Steadman
Dr. Adam C. Midgley
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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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.