BMC Infectious Diseases is excited to announce that it has expanded its scope to include animal studies! Animal models in infectious diseases serve as invaluable tools, allowing scientists to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the complex realities of human infections. Understanding and treating infectious diseases hinges upon the crucial role of animal models in unravelling host-pathogen interactions, predicting human responses, and exploring therapeutic interventions.

A new collection: Animal models in infectious diseases

In celebration of this scope expansion, BMC Infectious Diseases has launched a new Collection “Animal models in infectious diseases”. This Collection aims to spotlight the significance of animal models in infectious diseases research, providing a platform for comprehensive exploration across various disciplines. The primary focus of the collection is to explore various aspects of the role of animal models in advancing our understanding of infectious diseases, how they provide insights into the dynamics of human-pathogen interactions, as well as the susceptibility spectrums across different hosts, and innovative approaches to preclinical studies. Find more information on the Collection here.

Topics of interest for the Collection include but are not limited to:

• Studies investigating the interaction between animal models and a diverse range of human pathogens, providing insights into pathogenesis
• Research on the varying degrees of susceptibility among different animal models to infectious agents, contributing to a nuanced understanding of host responses, exploration of different animal species as hosts to human pathogens and the implications for disease transmission
• Studies focusing on the humanization of viral receptors in animal models, enhancing the relevance of these models to human infections
• Investigations into the role of animal models in understanding and combating newly emerging pathogens
• Contributions discussing the methodologies and challenges involved in developing and refining animal models for infectious diseases
• Investigations into techniques and advancements in tissue humanization within animal models, aiming to replicate human physiological conditions
• Research highlighting the outcomes and implications of preclinical studies using animal models with a focus on translation to human contexts

Meet the Guest Editor’s of Animal models in infectious diseases

Zulqarnain Baloch, PhD, Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Dr Zulqarnain Baloch is a distinguished Pakistani scholar with a notable career in research and education. Holding a PhD in Environmental Biology, he currently serves as a Professor at Kunming University of Science and Technology in China. Dr Baloch has made significant contributions to Molecular Microbiology, Epidemiology of infectious diseases, Microbial Resistance, and animal model development for infectious diseases. His expertise and dedication to advancing scientific knowledge are reflected in numerous publications in reputable journals. Beyond his research achievements, Dr Baloch is recognized for his commitment to mentoring students and fostering scientific inquiry. His role as a professor extends beyond the classroom, emphasizing the importance of shaping the epidemiology of infectious diseases on a global scale and their animal model development.

Hin Chu, PhD, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Dr Hin Chu focuses on investigating the pathogenic mechanisms and host and viral determinants of emerging viral pathogens, with an emphasis on highly pathogenic coronaviruses. Dr Chu, currently affiliated with the University of Hong Kong in Honkg Kong, China, is an distinguished scholar with an extensive publication record in prestigious international journals. He has been recognized by Clarivate Analytics as one of the world’s top 1% scholars by citations and as a “Highly Cited Researcher” in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Dr Chu was awarded the NSFC-Excellent Young Scientist Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) (2021), HKU Outstanding Young Researcher Award (2023), and HKU Research Output Prize (2021, 2022, 2023).

Luis Martinez-Sobrido, PhD, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, USA 

Dr Luis Martinez-Sobrido is a Professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UT-Health SA), and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Texas San Antonio (USTA). His PhD research focused on the study of viral replication and transcription of respiratory syncytial virus under the guidance of Dr Jose Antonio Melero at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain. He conducted post-doctoral research on the molecular biology of influenza viruses under the supervision of Dr Adolfo Garcia-Sastre at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, USA. Dr Martinez-Sobrido’s research interests during the last 25 years have been focused on the molecular biology, immunology and pathogenesis of negative-stranded and positive-stranded RNA and DNA viruses. His current research interest focuses on the molecular biology of RNA viruses. Dr Martinez-Sobrido has extensive knowledge in plasmid-based reverse genetics techniques to rescue recombinant viruses, pioneered the development of techniques and screening assays to identify and characterize viral-encoded interferon antagonist proteins, established new molecular biology techniques to study highly pathogenic viruses without the requirement of special biosafety conditions. His expertise also includes antiviral and vaccine development and establishment of animal models of viral infections.

Submission guidelines

This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select “Animal models in infectious diseases” from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.

If accepted for publication, article processing charges applies. Please click here to find out about our standard waiver policy.

The Collection is now open for submissions! The submission deadline is November 29th 2024.