Prion and Prion-Like Protein Misfolding: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Therapeutic Prospects
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 74
Special Issue Editor
2. Institute of Neurology, Jiangxi Academy of Clinical Medical Sciences, Nanchang, China
3. The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University School of Medicine, Nanchang, China
Interests: prions; prion diseases; prion-like; zoonosis; neurodegenerative disorders; protein misfolding disorders; protein aggregations; biomarkers; neuroscience; Alzheimer’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; glycosylation
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The discovery that a misfolded protein alone can transmit disease—the prion principle—revolutionized our understanding of neurodegeneration. While rare human prion diseases like Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (CJD) established the paradigm, the core mechanism of seeded, self-templating protein aggregation is now recognized as a fundamental driver of common neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This shared pathology underscores a profound conceptual unity across these diverse conditions, where proteins such as Aβ, tau, α-synuclein, TDP-43, and SOD1 exhibit prion-like behavior.
This Special Issue is dedicated to capturing the dynamic cross-fertilization between prion biology and the wider field of protein misfolding disorders. We aim to showcase research that illuminates the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, advances antemortem diagnostics, and pioneers novel therapeutic strategies. We are at a pivotal juncture where foundational discoveries in structural biology and cellular pathology are converging with breakthroughs in biomarker validation and targeted drug design, translating fundamental insight into tangible hope for patients.
We invite the submission of original research articles and comprehensive reviews that explore the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and potential therapeutics of human and animal prion diseases, as well as prion-like disorders. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms of protein misfolding, seeding, and aggregation.
- Structural biology of prion and prion-like proteins.
- Novel diagnostic biomarkers and platforms (e.g., RT-QuIC, seed amplification assays, blood biomarkers, imaging).
- Therapeutic approaches, including small molecules, immunotherapies, cell-therapy, and gene-targeting strategies.
- Prion strain diversity, transmission barriers, and disease heterogeneity.
- Comparative pathophysiology across neurodegenerative proteinopathies.
We look forward to your contributions to this important collection. By synthesizing the latest knowledge and highlighting future directions, this Special Issue seeks to galvanize the scientific community and accelerate progress against these devastating diseases.
Prof. Dr. Wen-Quan Zou
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- prions
- prion diseases
- prion-like
- neurodegenerative disorders
- protein misfolding disorders
- protein aggregations
- biomarkers
- neuroscience
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- tau
- α-synuclein
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