Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the virus will experience no symptoms or mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without special treatment. However, the disease can be severe, especially on older persons and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes). The disease is highly contagious and has evolved into a pandemic, bringing several social, economic, and health challenges.

Considering the current context and the situation of uncertainty regarding the future, the scientific community has contributed with technological advances in several areas in order to combat the evolution of the disease and its consequences.

In this Special Edition, we would like to receive innovative contributions on bioengineering techniques and applications against COVID-19. Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished papers on topics including but not limited to:

-Disease prevention techniques;
-Simulations that make it possible to predict the behavior of the virus;
-Development, optimization, and validation of early diagnosis methods, within a framework of training and national autonomy for the COVID diagnosis;
-Methods for early detection of the infection and for disease prognosis;
-Characterization of the immune response, immunopathology, and immunogenetic factors;
-Development of new therapies or new therapeutic approaches or protocols;
-Clinical studies for management and monitoring of infected individuals and risk groups using computational approaches;
-Equipment or devices to improve the response of health systems;
-Support tools to help clinic decision making processes in scarce resource environments.