Mapping Cell Death Pathways in Ocular Health and Disease Using Advanced Technologies

Cell death is a critical physiological process essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis and modulating immune responses. In the retina and cornea, dysregulation of cell death pathways can severely impair vision, leading to blindness through various ocular diseases. Pathogenic infections such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi often activate these pathways as a defense strategy, but their overactivation can result in considerable harm to retinal tissues, exacerbating disease outcomes. Non-infectious coular disorders such as including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, uveitis and glaucoma, also trigger pathological cell death through acute or chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic imbalances, or mitochondrial damage contributing to progressive degeneration of retinal and corneal tissues.

Traditional studies have provided substantial insights into the molecular and cellular levels of these processes. However, they often overlook the complex spatial and temporal dynamics of cell death events within the intricate retinal architecture. Advanced system biology approches, such as spatial transcriptomics, live-cell biosensors, and multi-omics approaches, are beginning to close these gaps by offering a deeper understanding of how microenvironmental influences drive retinal and corneal disease pathology. Leveraging these tools is critical to unraveling the spatial heterogeneity and transient dynamics involved in ocular diseases.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the diverse cell death pathways in retinal and corneal health and disease across both infectious and non-infectious scenarios. We invite contributions utilizing advanced spatial biology tools such as spatial transcriptomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and advanced imaging modalities. These studies are expected to shed light on the molecular and cellular bases of cell death within these highly specialized tissues. Submissions that include live-cell biosensor technologies will also give us important information about how cells interact and change the retinal microenvironment during cell death. This could lead to new ways to treat eye diseases and better precision medicine.

To achieve comprehensive insights within this research arena, contributions are sought that adhere to the following boundaries:
- Emphasis on spatial and temporal analysis of cell death
- Integration of multi-omics data with live imaging methods

We invite submissions on a variety of themes, including but not limited to:
- Comparative analysis of cell death mechanisms in infections caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- Development and application of biosensors for real-time tracking of cell death in ocular pathogenesis.
- Multi-omics approaches to map out the pathways and impacts of cell death in infectious or non infectious ocular disorders.
- Biomarker discoveries in disease prognosis and potential therapeutic interventions in ocular diseases.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Retinal, Corneal, Cell death, Inflammation, Bio-energetic collapse, Lipidomic, Metabolomics, Transcriptomic, Biosensors

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.