Dear Colleagues,

Musculoskeletal diseases comprise numerous different disorders (more than 150 conditions) affecting the locomotor system (joints, bones, muscles, cartilage, meniscus and tendon tissues) and are associated with significant morbidity and disability. A recent analysis of the Global Burden of Disease estimated that approximately 1.71 billion people globally have musculoskeletal conditions. The number of affected individuals is expected to grow as the population ages. Thus, a better understanding of the etiology and new and more effective therapeutic treatments are needed. The purpose of this Special Issue is to report advances in pathophysiological mechanisms, predictive biomarkers and preclinical therapeutic approaches to musculoskeletal disorders, with a particular focus on bone cancers and osteoarthritis.

Authors are invited to contribute to this Special Issue with original research articles and comprehensive reviews.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pathophysiological studies related to musculoskeletal diseases;
• Molecular, biochemical and biomechanical mechanisms involved in the etiology and progression of musculoskeletal disorders;
• Identification of biomarkers useful for early diagnosis and/or predictive of prognosis;

Preclinical research of potential drugs and cell-based strategies for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.

Dr. Elisa Belluzzi
Dr. Assunta Pozzuoli
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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.

• musculoskeletal diseases
• bone cancer
• soft tissue cancer
• bone metastasis
• natural compounds
• anticancer drugs
• osteoarthritis
• joint tissues
• biomarkers
• inflammation
• microRNAs
• exosomes