Neurotrophic Factors: A Focus on the Therapeutic Level

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury (SCI), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are marked by acute or gradual loss of specific neuron subtypes. Despite their rising prevalence, effective treatment options remain limited. Recently, research has turned toward neurotrophic factors (NTFs) as promising candidates for regenerative therapies in neurodegenerative conditions.

Neurotrophic factors and their receptors are essential in promoting neural cell maturation and proliferation. These factors support neuronal development and survival and are thought to play a role in the intrinsic neuroprotection of various neuron types. Numerous studies have shown that NTFs—especially glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5)—exhibit regenerative effects in different animal models.

This Special Issue aims to explore the therapeutic potential of NTFs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and other nervous system disorders. NTFs play crucial roles in development and regeneration and also hold promise as therapeutic agents for conditions like AD, PD, ALS, MS, and SCI. 

We invite research articles, reviews, and clinical studies that cover:

• The efficacy of neurotrophic factors in preclinical and clinical settings;
• New drug delivery approaches for neurotrophic factors;
• Neurotrophic factors as regenerative therapy for neurodegenerative diseases;
• Delivery systems and biomaterials that enhance the stability and targeting of neurotrophic factors;
• The engineering and modification of neurotrophic factors for enhanced therapeutic efficacy;
• The mechanisms of action of neurotrophic factors in promoting neuroprotection and neural regeneration;
• The challenges and limitations of translating neurotrophic factor-based therapies from bench to bedside;
• Combination therapies involving NTFs and other pharmacological agents;
• Gene therapy and stem cell-based approaches to enhancing neurotrophic factor delivery;
• This Special Issue also welcomes studies focused on biomarker discovery to evaluate the efficacy of NTF therapies and insights into the side effects and safety of long-term NTF administration.

Dr. Nidhi Puranik
Guest Editor

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• neurotrophic factors
• neurodegenerative disorders
• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• multiple sclerosis (MS)
• therapeutic molecules
• neuroprotection
• regenerative therapy
• Huntington’s disease (HD)
• spinal cord injury (SCI)
• glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)
• ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF)
• brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
• nerve growth factor (NGF)
• neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)