Genetic Rare Diseases in Children

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Translational Pediatrics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 417

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Interests: genetics; genetics and genomics diagnostic; clinical molecular genetics; whole exome sequencing; molecular genetic diagnosis of hereditary cardiovascular diseases, genetic blood disorders, and other genetic conditions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite submissions to this Special Issue, ‘Genetic Rare Diseases in Children’, aimed at advancing translational research and clinical understanding in this field. Genetic rare disorders, while individually uncommon, collectively pose significant challenges in pediatric healthcare and represent a growing area of scientific and therapeutic interest. This Special Issue seeks to bridge the gap between bench and bedside, encouraging contributions that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of this work.

We welcome original research, reviews, case series, case reports, and short communications that address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Novel gene discovery and disease mechanisms;
  • Genotype–phenotype correlations;
  • Advances in molecular diagnostics and newborn screening;
  • Clinical trial design and therapeutic interventions, including gene- and RNA-based therapies;
  • Ethical, psychosocial, and health policy considerations in rare disease care;
  • Data sharing and collaborative approaches to improve diagnosis and care.

Dr. Wenying Zhang
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. Children 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • rare genetic disorders
  • pediatric genetics
  • genomic medicine
  • molecular diagnostics
  • gene therapy
  • precision medicine
  • genotype–phenotype correlations
  • translational research

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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7 pages, 1733 KiB  
Case Report
Bilateral Symmetrical Brain MRI Findings in Acute Necrotising Encephalopathy Type 1
by Alexander T. Hoppe, Twinkle Ghia, Richard Warne, Peter Shipman and Rahul Lakshmanan
Children 2025, 12(8), 974; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12080974 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 254
Abstract
Background: Acute necrotising encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare and severe type of encephalopathy with bilateral symmetrical brain lesions, often following a viral prodrome. ANE type 1 (ANE1) is a disease subtype with a predisposing mutation in the gene encoding RAN binding protein 2 [...] Read more.
Background: Acute necrotising encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare and severe type of encephalopathy with bilateral symmetrical brain lesions, often following a viral prodrome. ANE type 1 (ANE1) is a disease subtype with a predisposing mutation in the gene encoding RAN binding protein 2 (RANBP2). Methods: We report a case of a 3-year-old girl with clinical symptoms of ANE and brain MRI findings suggesting ANE1, which was subsequently confirmed by genetic analysis. Results: MRI of the brain demonstrated symmetrical high T2/FLAIR signal changes in the lateral geniculate bodies, claustrum, ventromedial thalami, subthalamic nuclei, mamillary bodies, and brainstem, with partly corresponding diffusion restriction, as well as additional haemorrhagic changes in the lateral geniculate bodies on susceptibility weighted imaging. Genetic analysis revealed a heterozygous pathogenic variant of the RANBP2 gene. With immunosuppressive and supportive treatment, the patient fully recovered and was discharged after 10 days in the hospital with no residual symptoms. Conclusions: Recognition of the characteristic MRI findings in ANE1 can facilitate a timely diagnosis and enhance the clinical management of the patient and their relatives, especially given the high risk of disease recurrence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Rare Diseases in Children)
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