Aims & Scope
Research Scope: Tiered Structure
HPV Molecular Biology Core
- HPV oncogene (E6/E7) mechanisms and cellular transformation pathways
- Viral integration sites and genomic instability patterns
- Host-viral protein interactions and immune evasion mechanisms
- HPV genotype-specific pathogenic mechanisms
- Viral persistence and latency molecular determinants
- Epigenetic modifications in HPV-infected cells
"E6-mediated p53 degradation mechanisms in HPV16-positive cervical epithelial cells: A proteomic analysis of ubiquitin ligase pathway activation"
Carcinogenesis Pathways Core
- Cell cycle dysregulation and checkpoint bypass mechanisms
- Apoptosis resistance pathways in cervical cancer cells
- Autophagy modulation and cellular stress responses
- DNA damage response and repair pathway alterations
- Telomerase activation and cellular immortalization
- Metabolic reprogramming in cervical cancer progression
"Rb pathway inactivation kinetics during cervical intraepithelial neoplasia progression: A longitudinal molecular analysis"
Biomarkers & Molecular Signatures Core
- Protein biomarkers for disease progression and risk stratification
- Genetic and epigenetic markers of malignant transformation
- MicroRNA signatures in cervical carcinogenesis
- Circulating tumor DNA and liquid biopsy markers
- Methylation patterns as molecular indicators
- Multi-omics biomarker panels for mechanistic classification
"Identification of a 12-gene methylation signature distinguishing high-grade from low-grade cervical lesions through genome-wide DNA methylation profiling"
Tumor Microenvironment Core
- Immune cell infiltration patterns and functional states
- Cytokine and chemokine signaling networks
- Stromal-epithelial interactions in tumor progression
- Angiogenesis molecular mechanisms and VEGF pathway regulation
- Extracellular matrix remodeling and invasion pathways
- Microbiome-host interactions affecting carcinogenesis
"Characterization of tumor-associated macrophage polarization states and their role in promoting cervical cancer cell invasion through MMP-9 secretion"
Secondary Focus Areas
Metastasis Mechanisms Secondary
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) molecular programs
- Lymphatic and vascular invasion molecular determinants
- Metastatic niche establishment mechanisms
- Circulating tumor cell biology and survival pathways
Hormonal Influences Secondary
- Estrogen and progesterone receptor signaling in cervical cells
- Hormonal modulation of HPV oncogene expression
- Steroid hormone effects on immune responses to HPV
- Pregnancy-associated molecular changes in cervical tissue
Therapeutic Targets Secondary
- Druggable molecular targets in cervical cancer pathways
- Resistance mechanisms to targeted agents (molecular basis)
- Immunotherapy target identification and validation
- Novel drug mechanism of action studies in disease models
Methodological Innovations Secondary
- Novel disease models (organoids, 3D cultures, animal models)
- Advanced imaging techniques for molecular visualization
- High-throughput screening platforms for pathway analysis
- Computational modeling of disease mechanisms
Emerging Areas (Selective Consideration)
The following areas are considered on a case-by-case basis when they provide novel mechanistic insights. Submissions require additional editorial review to ensure alignment with pathophysiology focus.
- Artificial intelligence applications for molecular pattern recognition and pathway prediction
- Single-cell multi-omics approaches revealing cellular heterogeneity in disease progression
- Spatial transcriptomics and proteomics mapping tumor architecture
- CRISPR-based functional genomics identifying causal disease mechanisms
- Systems biology integration of multi-scale disease data
- Environmental and lifestyle factor molecular mechanisms (smoking, diet effects on pathways)
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Case reports must provide novel mechanistic insights beyond clinical description. Opinion pieces must address pathophysiology concepts, not clinical practice debates.
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- ARRIVE 2.0 for animal studies
- MIQE for qPCR experiments
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- STROBE-ME for molecular epidemiology
- REMARK for biomarker studies
Data Transparency
- Raw data deposition in public repositories
- Omics data: GEO, ArrayExpress, or SRA
- Protein data: ProteomeXchange
- Code availability for computational analyses
- Materials sharing agreements
Ethics & Reproducibility
- IRB/Ethics committee approval required
- Informed consent documentation
- Animal welfare compliance (IACUC)
- Cell line authentication (STR profiling)
- Antibody validation (CiteAb standards)
Preprint & Prior Publication
- Preprints welcomed (bioRxiv, medRxiv)
- Conference abstracts permitted
- No duplicate publication
- Preprint DOI must be disclosed
- Thesis chapter submissions accepted
Open Science Commitment: We encourage preregistration of studies (OSF, AsPredicted), sharing of analysis scripts (GitHub, Zenodo), and transparent reporting of all experimental conditions including negative results.
Editorial Decision Metrics
Ready to Submit Your Research?
If your research advances mechanistic understanding of cervical cancer pathophysiology, we invite your submission. Choose your preferred submission method below.
Pre-submission inquiries welcome: Contact the editorial office if you are uncertain about scope fit.
