Exploring Circadian Clock Effects on Disease Diagnosis, Progression, and Therapeutic Approaches

Dear Colleagues

Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillators that govern an organism’s 24-hour physiological and behavioral rhythms. The central circadian clock orchestrates various facets of mammalian physiology, including sleep regulation, metabolism, and immune function. Biological timing is crucial for maintaining the body's homeostasis, and any disruptions in the biological synchronization mechanisms have significant pathological consequences. Recent studies have revealed the significant consequences of circadian rhythm disruption, which can stem from intrinsic factors such as clock gene mutations and aging or extrinsic factors such as shift work, jet lag, and nutritional imbalances. These disruptions have been associated with a range of disorders, including infectious diseases, insomnia, inflammation, compromised immune function, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, hypertension, depression, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Targeting the circadian clock presents a promising strategy to alleviate these issues. Chronobiology, the study of time-related biological processes, has gained increasing attention in disease management and diagnosis.

In this Special Issue, we invite our colleagues to contribute their original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, and commentaries focusing on a range of sub-topics that delve into the intricate connection between the circadian clock and diseases.

Examining circadian variability in evaluating biomarkers for research and clinical practice and ensuring accurate quantification. The following topics are of particular interest to this Special Issue:

• Clinical, experimental, or mechanistic evidence indicating that circadian clock components can function, whether directly or indirectly, as biomarkers for the early diagnosis or progression of diseases including but not limited to cancer, obesity, neurodegenerative conditions, and metabolic disorders, and studies that offer potential avenues for improving and managing the conditions by targeting circadian clock.
• Studies providing compelling evidence supporting the influence of chronobiology on the effectiveness of disease screenings. Furthermore, findings that emphasize and optimize the timing of screenings to align with circadian variations and how they could affect efficacy.
• Research studies that inspect circadian impacts on microbial growth, infections, and immune responses as well as the role of the circadian clock in influencing immunity development or disruptions leading to autoimmune disorders, along with the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity. Studies focusing on enhancing the diagnostic accuracy for infectious diseases and improving treatment efficacy by strategically targeting the circadian clock and immunity.
• Research demonstrating how circadian insights influence the precision of treatment in clinical decision support systems.

Dr. Baharan Fekry
Dr. Aleix Ribas-Latre
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• circadian clocks
• circadian rhythm disorders
• diagnosis
• management