Mirolyuba Ilieva obtained her Master degree in Cell biology and Pathology at Sofia University in 2006. In August 2013 she got a PhD in Nanotechnology from Danish Technical University (DTU). She has been researcher at Copenhagen University and currently she is a scientist in the Department of Psychiatry, Odense, University of Southern Denmark. Her research is focused on induced pluripotent stem cells and brain organoids as a model for neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, e. g. Autism Spectrum Disoeders; neurotrophic factors mimetic peptides as therapeutic agents, nanosensors for monitoring gene expression during cell reprograming and neuronal differentiation. EU expert for reviewing projects for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships. Way Lau is an Assistant Professor in Department of Special Education and Counselling at the Education University of Hong Kong. He completed his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in Department of Medicine and did his postdoctoral trainings in Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Hong Kong. One of his key research interests is on identifying biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder, using molecular and system neurosciences techniques, and psychobiological approach. He is also keen on studying mechanisms of psychological resilience in non-clinical samples and students with special educational needs for prevention of stress-induced mental illness, and cultivation of resilience and strength in counteracting adversity.

• PrefaceMirolyuba Simeonova Ilieva and Way Lau1. The putative etiology and prevention of autismGary Steinman2. Role of environmental factors and epigenetics in autism spectrum disordersRoheeni Saxena, Melika Babadi, Hasti Namvarhaghighi and Florence I. Roullet3. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and big data analysis in the discovery of new diagnostic markers and targets for therapy developmentDong Ik Park4. Autism spectrum disorder risk prediction: A systematic review of behavioral and neural investigationsXiujuan Geng, Xin Kang and Patrick C.M. Wong5. Resting-state abnormalities of posterior cingulate in autism spectrum disorderMei-Kei Leung and Way K.W. Lau6. Neurobiology of sensory processing in autism spectrum disorder  Cheung Pui Pui Phoebe and Lau Benson Wui Man7. The role of the endocannabinoid system in autism spectrum disorders: Evidence from mouse studiesSusanna Pietropaolo, Luigi Bellocchio, Ines Bouzon-Arnaiz and Benjamin K. Yee8. The effects of oxytocin administration on individuals with ASD: Neuroimaging and behavioral evidenceElizabeth Baker and Katherine K.M. Stavropoulos9. Microglia in animal models of autism spectrum disordersMegumi Andoh, Yuji Ikegaya and Ryuta Koyama10. The early overgrowth theory of autism spectrum disorder: Insight into convergent mechanisms from valproic acid exposure and translational modelsOswald Chen, Isabelle Tahmazian, Hannah J. Ferrara, Bin Hu and Taylor Chomiak11. The role of neuroglia in autism spectrum disordersCaterina Scuderi and Alexei Verkhratsky12. Oxidative stress, metabolic and mitochondrial abnormalities associated with autism spectrum disorderMorten Thorsen13. In vitro models for ASDSonja Simone Hohmann, Mirolyuba Ilieva and Tanja Maria Michel