Editorial pubs.acs.org/ptsci
Cite This: ACS Pharmacol. Transl. Sci. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Introducing ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
A
Dr. Denise Wootten, is a senior group leader within the Drug Discovery Biology theme of the Monash University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, as well as an adjunct Professor at Fudan University. Dr. Wootten’s research focuses on G protein-coupled receptors with an emphasis on physiologically important peptide hormone receptors. Denise’s research spans structural and molecular investigation of target engagement, through pharmacological understanding and exploitation of novel modes of receptor regulation, including biased agonism and allosteric modulation, to the use of transgenic animals to study disease relevance. Denise will particularly focus on the Perspective and Review areas of the journal. I am also excited by the composition of our Editorial Advisory Board who will play a key role in the ongoing development of the journal. The EAB blends established field leaders with key emerging thought leaders that bring an exciting dynamic to how we can shape the future of the journal and how we can serve the research community. We are working in a time of amazing advances; in our ability to visual fine structural detail, our ability to interrogate breadth of cellular changes, and in our ability to manipulate complex, integrated systems in the context of whole-animal models. My goal is to make ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science a key destination for this transformative research. As such, we will publish high-quality, innovative research across the broad spectrum of pharmacology, biochemistry, and experimental medicinefrom basic and molecular sciences to translational preclinical studies. We are particularly interested in studies that fully integrate basic pharmacological and/or biochemical findings into physiological processes that have translational potential in a broad range of biomedical disciplines. Nonetheless, we recognize that translational impact can be achieved many ways and will publish quality, innovative research at all levels through which authors can articulate the translational importance of their research.
warm welcome to readers, current and future authors, and the blended community of researchers that are now vital to the conduct of the transformative science that is providing unprecedented breadth in translational research. As a pharmacologist who trained in the early 1980s, I have watched with excitement the evolution of the investigative power with which we can tackle questions on basic understanding of biological function, and how this can advance our ability to discover and develop new medicines. This has also highlighted the ever present, but imperfectly understood, complexity of biological systems and the need for crossdisciplinary research to shed light on the nature of disease and how we can intervene to alleviate this burden. Why yet another journal, and why is ACS entering this space? The latter is easy: chemistry has forever been the foundation of new medicines and the intersection with pharmacology and the need to translate chemical discoveries into new medicines a fundamental axiom of most biological, and all medicinal chemistry programs. Moreover, one needs only to look at recent awardees of the Nobel prize in Chemistry to understand the fundamental relationship between chemistry and biology. The specific launching of ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science also recognizes a gap in publishing opportunities for authors bringing together interdisciplinary sciences and integrating molecular and biological studies to improve the translational relevance of their research. I am also delighted to introduce our amazing team of Editors. Our inaugural Senior Editorial team comprises Dr. Kathleen Caron, Dr. Xin Xie, and Dr. Denise Wootten. Dr. Kathleen Caron is Professor and Department Chair, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of North Carolina. Kathleen’s research combines gene-targeted animal models and state-of-the-art in vitro cell biology to understand the development and function of the cardiovascular system. In particular, her work has provided advances in understanding protein−protein interactions that control receptor function that is vital for lymphangiogenesis, for reproductive biology, and in cancer metastasis. In addition to the depth of her research program, Kathleen has extensive editorial experience, having recently served as Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Xin Xie is Professor and Principal Investigator, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is the Deputy Director of the Chinese National Center for Drug Screening. Dr. Xie works on drug discovery projects related to G protein-coupled receptors, including target validation, assay development, high-throughput screening, and in vivo pharmacology. Her research work is mainly focused on autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, while her team is also working toward small molecules that can enhance the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or promote somatic cell transdifferentiation. Xin also has extensive editorial experience having served on the EAB for the Journal of Biological Chemistry for over 5 years. © XXXX American Chemical Society
■
Patrick Sexton, Editor-in-Chief AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
Received: April 30, 2018
A
DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.8b00013 ACS Pharmacol. Transl. Sci. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
