Dear Colleagues,

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (19-24 nt) RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression. These molecules control many biological processes, including development, differentiation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. They are also dysregulated in many diseases, often exhibiting disease-type and -stage expression patterns. Over the past two decades, it has become increasingly clear that miRNAs can provide valuable insights into biological and pathological processes through predictable messenger RNA targeting. In this Special Issue, we focus on clinical, biological, and computational studies of miRNAs and their targets in human cells and tissues. We are particularly interested in novel miRNA detection methods, cross-platform analyses of existing methods, miRNA and target sequence genetic variation, the miRNA expression profiling of biological and clinical samples, computational and/or experimental target identification, miRNA-based therapeutic approaches, and machine learning and other advanced computational approaches for classifying samples and/or studying miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks. A fuller understanding of miRNA-mediated gene regulation in health and disease will advance our knowledge of human cell biology and pave the way to identifying novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for many diseases. 

Dr. Neil Renwick
Guest Editor

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. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.