Professor Neville Vassallo (Dept. of Physiology & Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery) has been appointed as Guest Topic Editor for two acclaimed biomedical journals, Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology [Molecular Medicine] and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Prof. Vassallo leads a research group at the Centre for Molecular Medicine & Biobanking, University of Malta, studying the pathological self-assembly of proteins or peptides into toxic aggregates (termed ‘oligomers’). This process of aberrant protein misfolding is associated with several common and important debilitating conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and type-2 diabetes mellitus.
For Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology, Prof. Vassallo chose the theme “Amyloid-Membrane Interactions in Protein Misfolding Disorders: from Basic Mechanisms to Therapy.” Prof. Vassallo has invited two other senior colleagues, Prof. Céline Galvagnion (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) and Prof. Eva Chi (University of New Mexico, USA) to collaborate in the development of this Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are open access, peer-reviewed article collections around cutting-edge research themes. Articles will undergo rigorous, transparent review on the Frontiers Open Science on-line platform.
The Special Issue for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences edited by Prof. Vassallo is entitled “Oligomers in Amyloid-Associated Diseases: Structural Properties and Toxicity.” This topic focuses on the formation and the structure of protein oligomers. Targeting of protein oligomers by small-molecule compounds, either to prevent their formation or convert them into harmless clusters, is of critical importance for the development of effective therapies for diseases of protein misfolding. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access journal in all aspects of molecular medicine.
Access to the webpage of the Frontiers Research Topic may be found online.
Access to the webpage of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences Special Issue may also be found online.
