Journal of Inflammation Research

Artificial Intelligence and Multi‑omics Decoding of Inflammatory Mechanisms and Therapeutic Interventions in Musculoskeletal Soft‑Tissue Injury

The Journal of Inflammation Research is pleased to welcome you to submit your research to the Article Collection "Artificial Intelligence and Multi‑omics Decoding of Inflammatory Mechanisms and Therapeutic Interventions in Musculoskeletal Soft‑Tissue Injury".

Advances in artificial intelligence and multi‑omics technologies are reshaping our understanding of tissue‑specific inflammatory responses following musculoskeletal trauma. Single‑cell multi‑omics, spatial omics, metabolomics combined with computational modelling enable high‑resolution dissection of local inflammatory microenvironment after soft‑tissue injury, offering new opportunities to unravel mechanisms driving tissue repair, pathological fibrosis and chronic degeneration. This Article Collection explores how multi‑omics profiling and artificial intelligence‑driven analysis advance mechanistic interpretation of soft‑tissue‑triggered inflammation, biomarker discovery, target prediction and therapeutic intervention for tendon, ligament and muscle injury.

Musculoskeletal soft‑tissue injuries, including tendon, ligament and muscle damage, represent a major cause of disability and impose a substantial socioeconomic burden worldwide. Despite advances in surgical and rehabilitative care, a significant proportion of patients develop chronic inflammation, fibrosis and degenerative changes that impair function and quality of life. The inflammatory response triggered by trauma is highly heterogeneous and dynamically regulated across cell types, spatial niches and disease stages, yet conventional approaches lack the resolution to capture this complexity. Artificial intelligence combined with multi‑omics offers a transformative opportunity to decode these mechanisms at single‑cell and spatial resolution, identify robust biomarkers, predict therapeutic targets and stratify patients for precision intervention. This Collection is therefore timely and important, as it will consolidate cutting‑edge evidence and foster interdisciplinary collaboration to translate multi‑omics and AI insights into clinically meaningful strategies for musculoskeletal soft‑tissue repair and regeneration.

This Article Collection welcomes original research, reviews, methods and clinical studies that apply artificial intelligence, machine learning and multi‑omics approaches to musculoskeletal soft‑tissue injury.

Subtopics include, but are not limited to:

• Single‑cell and spatial transcriptomics of tendon, ligament and muscle injury
• Proteomics, metabolomics and epigenomics of trauma‑induced inflammation
• AI‑driven biomarker discovery and target prediction
• Computational modelling of inflammatory microenvironments
• Multi‑omics integration for patient stratification
• Mechanisms of pathological fibrosis and chronic degeneration
• Immunomodulatory and regenerative therapeutic interventions
• Translational studies linking multi‑omics signatures to clinical outcomes

We particularly encourage studies that bridge mechanistic discovery with therapeutic development and those that address sex, age and injury‑site specific differences. Accepted article types include Original Research, Review, Systematic Review, Methods, Clinical Trial and Perspective, in line with the journal's accepted article types.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Multi-omics; Soft-tissue injury; Musculoskeletal inflammation; Tendon repair

Meet the Guest Advisors

Prof. Zhiwen Luo is a physician‑scientist specializing in sports medicine and musculoskeletal soft‑tissue injury. He serves as Academic Director of the Sports Hospital of Jiaxing and the Fudan University‑Dr.Kong Joint Laboratory of Sports Medicine, Principal Investigator at Fudan Zhangjiang Institute, and Professor at East China University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on trauma‑triggered inflammation, tissue repair, fibrosis and multi‑omics/AI‑driven therapeutic strategies in tendon, ligament and muscle injury. He is Editor‑in‑Chief of Bio Integration and serves on the editorial boards of over 40 journals, including as Associate Editor of Journal of Translational Medicine and Science Editor of Military Medical Research.

Dr. Wei Luo is a PhD in Sports Medicine from Fudan University, Shanghai, China, with joint training at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on sports medicine, soft tissue injury repair, and musculoskeletal aging. His current research interests include rotator cuff injury, tendon and soft tissue repair, sarcopenia, and aging-related musculoskeletal degeneration. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of sports medicine, regenerative medicine, and musculoskeletal research.

Renwen Wan is a PhD candidate in Sports Medicine at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research focuses on sports medicine, musculoskeletal regeneration, biomaterials, and metabolic disorders affecting the musculoskeletal system. His current research interests include cartilage and tendon repair, diabetic myopathy, regenerative biomaterials, and translational medicine. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of biomaterials, regenerative medicine, and musculoskeletal research.