NEWS OF THE WEEK PUBLISHING
ACS NAMES EDITOR FOR NEW JOURNAL William S. Hancock to take the helm at the Journal ofProteome Research PROTEOMICS Hancock hopes the new journal will take the lid off the black box of biology.
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ILLIAM S. HANCOCK, VICE
president of proteomics at mass spectrometry instrument supplier Thermo Finnigan, has been appointed editor of the American Chemical Society's new Journal of Proteome Research. The journal will be published six times annually beginning early next year. It will cover both the theory and practice of proteomics research, which concerns the global view of the expression, interaction, and modification of proteins in an organism. Hancock hopes the publication will encourage a more disciplined approach to the study of living systems and the application of such research. "Biology is still a black box and so the drug devel-
opment process is still hit and miss," he says. He believes that characterizing all of the proteins in cells will take the mystery out of the system. John R. Yates III, aproteomics expert and associate professor of cell biology at Scripps Research Institute, applauds Hancock's selection because "he is highly respected in the field of analytical chemistry and has been a pioneer in the separation and characterization of biomolecules." Hancock also has considerable publishing experience, having been an associate editor at Analytical Chemistry for almost a decade and having served on the board of such publications as the Journal ofChromatography.
Hancock earned a B.Sc. in chemistry and biochemistry in 1966, a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1970, and a D.Sc. in biological analysis in 1993, all at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. He conducted his postdoctoral work in 1970-71 with P. Roy Vagelos at Washington University School ofMedicine, St. Louis. He then joined the faculty in the department of chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics at New Zealand's Massey University In the mid-1980s, he returned to the US. as a senior scientist in medicinal and analytical chemistry at Genentech. He founded the firm's analytical department and rose to the position of staff scientist. In 1994, he moved to H P Laboratories as a principal scientist for its life sciences initiative. Two years later, he took on an adjunct professorship at Yale University He joined Thermo Finnigan last year from Agilent Laboratories, which had been spun off from H P When he's not at work, Hancock can be found painting watercolors, playing tennis, or jogging.—SOPHIE WILKINSON
RIGHTS
U.K. Rescues Firm Targeted By Activists their home addresses with the governollowing intervention by the British ment, Sainsbury said, but "this will be kept government, British product develon a secure register, with access restricted opment and safety testing company to law enforcement agencies." Huntingdon Life Sciences is to have the Bank of England as its banker. HuntingIn May, the government set up a minisdon has been shunned by commercial terial committee to develop strategies to banks alarmed at threats by animal rights tackle animal rights extremism, he added. activists against the firm's staff and cusHuntingdon has been unable to find a tomers. The activists are protesting bank since the beginning of the year, Huntingdon's use of animals in some of its when NatWest, owned by Royal Bank of pharmaceutical tests. Scotland, withdrew its banking services. Authorities have chastised the banks for According to Lord David Sainsbury, the shunning Huntingdon, but even some staff U.K. science minister, the British governS T A N D - O F F Protesters confront a at the firm can understand the banks' ment has taken the highly unusual move police officer guarding Huntingdon alarm: Staffers have endured car bombof giving Huntingdon banking facilities at Life Sciences in Franklin Township, ings, parcel bombs, and death threats. the Bank of England in an attempt to keep N.J., in April. Huntingdon's shareholders have been the company in business. intimidated away as well by animal rights activists' protests and Sainsbury told the House of Lords that the government is also threats. The international company was rescued by Arkansasproposing to amend corporate law so that companies "at serious based investment firm Stephens Inc. earlier this year. Stephens' risk of violence or intimidation" need only make public an official New York City offices have also been picketed.—PATRICIA SHORT mailing address. Company directors will still be required to file
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