Programmed Cell Death and Targeted Therapy in Tumors of the Nervous System

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a natural process of cell self-destruction that occurs as a normal part of an organism's growth and development or in response to stress, damage or infection. There are different forms of PCD, including apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, each with unique cellular mechanisms and outcomes. Over the years, it has been discovered that dysregulation of PCD can lead to the development and progression of various types of tumors, including those affecting the nervous system. The failure of PCD in damaged or mutated cells can allow their proliferation, which can eventually lead to tumor formation. However, the use of targeted therapies that exploit the regulation of PCD in cancer cells has shown promising results in the management of tumors of the nervous system. It has been demonstrated that the use of cell death-inducing agents can selectively promote the death of tumor cells while minimizing harm to the surrounding normal cells. As such, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that regulate programmed cell death and the potential applications of inducing apoptosis in the designing of new targeted therapies for better patient outcomes.

The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent developments in PCD and targeted therapy for primary or metastatic tumors of the adult and pediatric central nervous system. Researchers have made significant strides in identifying the mechanisms that regulate programmed cell death, including the role of various signaling pathways, molecular targets, and signaling molecules. Moreover, the development of novel agents and therapeutics that target these pathways has also shown promising results in preclinical and clinical studies in terms of promoting tumor cell death and minimizing harm to the surrounding healthy cells. Therefore, this Research Topic welcomes original research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that investigate the mechanisms regulating programmed cell death, novel agents and therapeutics that target these pathways, and clinical trials evaluating their efficacy in tumors of the nervous system. The aim is to foster the development of effective targeted therapies for improved patient outcomes.

Topics that papers are expected to cover:

1. Mechanisms regulating programmed cell death in tumors of the central nervous system
2. Novel agents and therapeutics targeting programmed cell death pathways
3. Preclinical and clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of programmed cell death-targeted therapies in tumors of the central nervous system
4. Applications of imaging and non-invasive techniques for monitoring therapeutic response
5. Identification of biomarkers predicting response to programmed cell death-targeted therapies.

Please Note: Manuscripts that are primarily bioinformatics/in silico based and that do not have validation in institutional rather than database patient samples and/or functional validation in vitro and or in vivo using appropriate model systems will not be considered.