Special issue of Future Science OA highlights research on protein misfolding diseases

Future Science Group (FSG) today announced the publication of a special issue in Future Science OA, covering the rapidly evolving field of protein misfolding diseases.

Protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, are rising in incidence and seeing increasing financial and healthcare burden. Treatments and accurate diagnostics for these diseases are lacking.

This issue of Future Science OA, featuring Guest Editor Salvador Ventura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), highlights recent advances in the understanding of these disorders, and provides fresh ideas for their future therapy. In a series of articles written by experts at the cutting edge of the field, the issue begins by looking at recent inroads into our expanding knowledge of protein misfolding disorders and their protein targets. It then goes on to look at amyloid aggregation in specific disease areas, including the neurodegenerative: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntingdon's disease; glioblastoma; cystic fibrosis; spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; and malaria.

"This special issue is timely, as the social and economical burden associated with the protein misfolding disorders is steadily increasing in our aging society," explained Ventura. "Accordingly, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases is becoming extremely urgent. This special issue illustrates how protein misfolding is intimately linked to both health and disease and collects our more recent knowledge on the molecular causes behind deleterious misfolding reactions. This information is paving the way for the development of novel and effective therapeutic strategies to tackle these devastating pathologies."

"Many human diseases are associated with protein misfolding. With the rising burden of these diseases, it is important to advance understanding into why cellular protein processing goes awry, and to discover and utilize targets to improve diagnostic therapy," commented Francesca Lake, Managing Editor. "This issue is intended to provide a snapshot of where we are today, and provide a thought-proving look at the future of this field."