Research Advances in Retinal Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection Strategies
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 2306
Special Issue Editors
Interests: retina; AMD; oxidative stress; retinal neurodegeneration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: retina; neurodegeneration; neuroprotection; retinal pigment epithelium; retinal function; age related macular degeneration; retinal organoids; hESCs; iPSCs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of The International Journal of Molecular Sciences will provide an update on retinal neurodegenerative diseases and neuroprotective strategies. The dramatic increase in the number of patients suffering from retinal disorders has compelled expert research groups in this field to focus their efforts on identifying new therapeutic targets and developing protective strategies. This topic spans several fields, including physiology, neuroscience, pathology, and pharmacology. The main retinal neurodegenerative diseases caused by harmful environmental stimuli or genetic mutations include Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Retinoschisis, Stargardt's Disease, and Usher Syndrome. To date, many molecular and physiological mechanisms linked to retinal disorders and vision loss have been identified, including pathways involved in the dysfunction of epithelial cells, photoreceptor and ganglion cells death, oxidative stress, autophagy dysfunction, inflammatory markers, retinal immune system impairment, the breakdown of the blood–retinal barrier, and retinal detachment. Despite the vast scientific literature available, further studies are necessary to increase our knowledge of still unknown mechanisms related to different pathologies. Furthermore, since the retina is part of the central nervous system, and its neuronal circuitry, glial cells, and vasculature and immunocompetent systems recapitulate the functionality of many areas of the brain, the identification of early biomarkers of other neurodegenerative disorders in the retina could be beneficial. We encourage authors to submit original research articles, reviews, or short communications documenting in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies. Well-documented strategies that counteract vision loss, ranging natural compounds, small molecules, nanoparticles, antibodies, peptides, gene therapy, exosomes, etc., will be welcome in this Special Issue. Publishing an article in this Special Issue provides a great opportunity to join a community of experts in this field.
Dr. Maccarone Rita
Dr. Darin Zerti
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.
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Keywords
- retinal neurodegeneration
- retinal neuroprotection
- retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction
- electrophysiology
- molecular targets
- drug delivery
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