Zebrafish Models of Human Disease: Uncovering Immunometabolic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 196
Editor
Interests: immunometabolism; tumor microenvironment; cancer immunology; inflammation; metabolic reprogramming; innate immunity; neutrophil biology; mitochondrial dynamics; zebrafish models of human disease
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Zebrafish Models of Human Disease: Uncovering Immunometabolic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets”. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have emerged as a versatile vertebrate model for studying human disease, offering unique advantages such as rapid development, genetic tractability, and optical transparency. These features allow real-time, non-invasive in vivo imaging of cellular and molecular processes, enabling longitudinal studies of disease progression without the need to sacrifice animals.
With high genetic conservation and advanced in vivo imaging capabilities, zebrafish enable real-time analysis of cellular behavior, immune responses, and metabolic dynamics within intact tissues. In particular, zebrafish have become increasingly relevant in studying immunometabolism, a rapidly growing field that examines how metabolic pathways regulate immune cell function and shape disease outcomes.
This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in zebrafish-based models of human disease, with a particular emphasis on metabolism, immunology, and their integration in immunometabolism. We welcome studies addressing cancer, metabolic disorders, inflammatory diseases, and conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
The topic aligns closely with the journal’s scope by addressing fundamental and translational aspects of immune regulation and disease pathogenesis. By integrating genetics, live imaging, and multi-omics approaches, zebrafish provide a powerful platform for uncovering disease mechanisms and identifying therapeutic targets. We aim to assemble a focused yet diverse collection of high-quality articles that explore how metabolic and immune pathways interact across different disease contexts, ultimately contributing to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Immunometabolism and immune cell regulation;
- Metabolic reprogramming in cancer and inflammation;
- Zebrafish models of metabolic diseases (obesity, diabetes, MASH);
- Tumor microenvironment and immune interactions;
- Innate immunity and inflammatory responses;
- Mitochondrial function and oxidative stress;
- High-throughput drug screening and therapeutic discovery;
- Live and longitudinal imaging of disease processes.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Juliana Moreira Mendonça Gomes
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
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Keywords
- zebrafish
- immunometabolism
- metabolism
- inflammation
- cancer
- obesity
- diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- MASH
- disease modeling
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