Pathophysiologic Mechanisms of Eye Diseases and Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

The eye is a remarkable organ of incredible functional complexity. Each of its structures, including the cornea and ocular surface, trabecular meshwork and sclera, ciliary body, iris and lens, neuroretina, and optic nerve, have their own specialized biology. These structures present problems of interest for every molecular scientist. Developmental geneticists discovered the first “master control gene” in the eye, a long-sought developmental regulator with the capacity to switch on an entire genetic program for organ formation. Neuroscientists have investigated the retina as the most accessible part of the central nervous system. Special features of the cornea have made it an important model for cell biological breakthroughs in regeneration and stem cell biology. The aqueous outflow pathways, a marvel of hydrodynamics, still hold many mysteries currently under intense investigation by molecular biologists, biophysicists, and bioengineers. This Special Issue of IJMS invites articles that provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of diseases of the eye, as well as work on new diagnostic tools/biomarkers, and novel therapeutic strategies. Diseases include dry eye, pinguecula and pterygium, ocular hypertension, cataract, glaucoma, and retinal degeneration. Both preclinical and clinical studies with an emphasis on molecular biology approaches are of interest, and animal models of disease are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. M. Elizabeth Fini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.