Fibroblasts in the Progression of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

For a long time, fibroblasts were considered supporting cells and bystanders during disease progression. Recently, the role of fibroblasts as key players in disease initiation and progression has been established. Fibroblasts exert a wide variety of functions that are crucial for tissue homeostasis, and they represent flexible entities that can adapt their functions to their environment. During gastrointestinal diseases, the balance between these functions is often disrupted and some features are lost or gained, e.g., remaining in a continuously activated state. The impact that fibroblasts have on intestinal disease progression must be established and ways to restore the fibroblast (subset) functioning and equilibrium identified. This Special Issue of IJMS encourages contributions through research papers or review articles centering around the role of fibroblasts in gastrointestinal disease.

Dr. Lukas J.A.C. J.A.C. Hawinkels
Dr. Vera Kemp
Guest Editors

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• gastrointestinal diseases
• cancer
• inflammatory bowel disease
• fibroblast–immune interaction
• fibroblast heterogeneity
• cancer-associated fibroblasts