Translational circadian research

In 2017, the description of the core circadian timekeeping system won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, signaling the definitive recognition of the impact of circadian rhythms on every aspect of human health. This seminal award signified the incipience rather than the culmination of the field of Circadian Medicine.

While sleep is the most recognizable circadian rhythm, this timekeeping mechanism is a fundamental and multi-scaled organizing principle of cellular life that synchronizes our genes, proteins, metabolism, physiology, immunity, brain function and behavior with the rotation of the earth. Disruption of circadian rhythms directly impacts major human scourges including sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, diabetes, cancer, myocardial infarction, immune function, and infections. But the circadian clock also regulates the metabolism of drugs and the availability of drug targets. The application of circadian science to medical practice is still nascent and represents a vast suite of opportunities for integrating timing into personalized medicine, the study of human pathology, and strategies to mitigate it.

We invite submissions on the practice, promise, and theory of translating circadian biology to medicine. All medical applications from pediatrics to neurodegeneration and drug screens to biomarker development are appropriate. We welcome primary research, reviews, perspectives, or comments focused on this fourth-dimension medicine.