Environmental and Disease-Driven Biomechanical Stress in Red Blood Cell Biology
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Biophysics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 46
Special Issue Editor
Interests: RBC deformability and function; RBC alterations in disease; RBC adaptations to exercise, altitude, altered gravity and senescence; RBC as biomarkers in health and disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, “Environmental and Disease-Driven Biomechanical Stress in Red Blood Cell Biology”, will explore how physical forces, environmental extremes, and pathological conditions influence the structure, function, and survival of red blood cells (RBCs). Although highly adaptable, RBCs constantly face mechanical challenges during their passage through narrow capillaries and turbulent blood flow. High altitudes, extreme temperatures, and microgravity impose additional stresses that may alter deformability and circulation, effects often amplified by disease.
Conditions such as sickle cell anemia, cardiovascular disorders, and post-COVID-19 issues or long COVID can impair RBC mechanical integrity, membrane stability, and microcirculatory performance, compromising oxygen delivery and vascular health. Mechanical stress caused by medical interventions or extreme exercise represents another important research angle.
We invite studies that explore molecular and biophysical mechanisms underlying RBC fragility, assess biomechanical properties as early disease markers, and present pharmacological, bioengineering, or lifestyle-based strategies aimed at preserving or restoring RBC mechanical function.
By combining insights from physiology, hematology, biophysics, and bioengineering, this Special Issue will highlight how environmental factors, biomechanical stress, and disease-driven changes intersect, opening up new opportunities in diagnostics, prevention, and treatment.
Dr. Marijke Grau
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- RBCs and environmental factors
- RBCs and biomechanical stress
- RBCs and pathological conditions
- RBCs and microcirculation
- RBCs and biomarkers for diseases
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