This Research Topic is the second volume of the Research Topic " Organelle Targeting: Focus on Drug Discovery and Theranostics ". Please see the first volume
here.
Organelle can play their functions and form a network of organelle interactions (such as mitochondria-lysosome, mitochondria-lipid droplets, lysosome-autophagosome, etc.) to participate in cellular functions of cellular homeostasis in various diseases such as cancer, osteoarthritis, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and neurodegenerative diseases. Drug discovery using the regulation of organelles’ interplay as targets has become a hot research topic. It is the direction of drug development such as anti-tumor, anti-depressant, and anti-aging. Increasingly works proved that mitochondria provide the vast majority of adenosine triphosphate via the oxidative phosphorylation system and function as gatekeepers for apoptosis and inflammation and as storage compartments for metabolites (e.g., calcium, lipids, and protons) to participate in the occurrence of tumors using various detection tools.
Newly developed molecular imaging technologies such as super-resolution imaging, such as stimulated emission depletion (STED), structured illumination microscopy (SIM), and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), as well as other single-molecule super-resolution imaging techniques, are enhanced new tools for investigating the dynamics of subcellular structures, including mitochondria. Combining functional fluorescent probes, optogenetics, and photodynamic therapy with super-resolution imaging is an excellent strategy for clarifying the underlying pathology for organelle-associated drugs such as small molecular (functional inhibitors, natural active products, etc.) and macromolecules (peptides, proteins, antibodies, glycans, nucleic acids, etc.).
To achieve antitumor effects, drugs can regulate organelle responses such as mitochondrial (membrane swelling, decrease mitochondrial membrane potential, and promote mitochondrial fission). New methods, techniques, and models may better benefit understanding organelle-related drug mechanisms. This Research Topic introduces new technologies, models, drugs, and imaging probes to develop organelle research. In addition, this Research Topic will publish original and review articles on current high-impact research novel drugs, methods, or techniques used to dissect the pharmacological mechanisms for organelle-related drug development.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Novel fluorescent probes for organelle imaging.
• Novel anti-cancer drugs, including combination medication, nanomaterials, and biomaterials based on organelle targets (such as mitochondria, lysosome, lipid droplets, and their interactions).
• New imaging techniques such as nanoscopic imaging, optogenetics, single-molecule imaging, etc., reveal the behavior of drugs on key molecules in the organelle.
• New analytical methods for organelle quantification.
• New research models using cells, zebrafish, C. elegans, and organoids for organelle-associated diseases.