ASPET’s Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics is planning a new special collection titled “Gene and Cell-Based Therapeutics for Disorders of Maladaptive Neuroplasticity”.

Gene and cell-based therapies offers opportunities to provide ultra-local, site-selective constitutive treatment for disorders related to pathological neuroadaptation ranging from chronic pain to addiction to neurodegenerative disorders. Development of effective and safe gene and cell-based therapeutics requires innovative molecular design, cell and circuitry targeting, effective and targeted central nervous system delivery strategies, biodistribution of gene delivery tools and gene product analysis, and long-range safety and toxicity monitoring.

This special collection seeks to profile original research in all areas associated with gene and cell-based therapeutics for neurological disorders driven by maladaptive neuroplasticity. The scope includes basic, translational, preclinical, as well as clinical research that focus on mechanistic understanding and therapeutic development of gene and cell-based strategies to target maladaptive neuroplasticity-associated neurological disorders.

Original research articles and mini reviews will be considered.

Prospective submissions may focus on:

• Discovery of novel strategies and/or therapeutics agents to treat neuroplasticity-related conditions such as (but not limited to):
  • chronic Pain
  • Addiction
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Epilepsy
  • Neurodegenerative disorders
  • Psychiatric disorders
• Development of therapeutics targeting one or multiple genes
• Delivery and optimization of current gene or cell-based delivery therapies
• Biodistribution studies of either gene or cell-based delivery vector or gene product
• Investigation of gene or cell-based therapeutic mechanisms

Article proposals, including the title, abstract, significance statement and full author information, should be submitted to the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JPET@aspet.org. Special collection Associate Editor Carolyn Fairbanks and Special section guest editors Dr. Stana Jergova and Dr. Shuanglin Hao will review the proposals for approval and respond to the authors with comments and suggestions, before submission of the full article.

The submission deadline is March 1, 2026, and all submissions must adhere to the journal’s Guide for Authors.