Cellular Signal Transduction in Toxicology and Pharmacology

9Future Research in Signaling

Jonathan W. Boyd¹, Nicole Prince², and Marc Birringer³

¹Department of Orthopaedics and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA

²Department of Orthopaedics, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA

³Department of Oecotrophologie, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Hesse, Germany

The aim of this book is to inform the reader about the intimate relationship between signal transduction and cellular survival/death, but the overarching goal of all mechanistic toxicology and pharmacology is to better understand both the causes of disease and potential treatments. With this goal in mind, it is important to identify areas of future research that could improve our understanding of cell signaling and serve as a bridge that better connects cellular response with disease states. There are some interesting recent studies that provide unique perspectives on signal transduction, which we hope will provide both insight and inspiration to further enhance our understanding of the integration of cellular signaling networks into tissues, organs, and whole organisms.

9.1 Translational Research and a Spatiotemporal Understanding of Signal Transduction

For cellular signal transduction research to reach its potential in toxicology and pharmacology, it is necessary to bridge the gap between early responses and end disease states. Individual cells are preprogrammed with a certain amount ...