My association with this journal began as a reviewer 50 years ago. Many years later, I joined the Editorial Board as an Associate Editor and much more recently have served the journal and the connective tissue research community, as only the third Editor-in-Chief of Connective Tissue Research.
Much has changed in our field during the last 50 years, as have the articles published in Connective Tissue Research, and, of course those who serve on the Editorial Board. But, these changes are simply a reflection of the changing nature of science and biomedical research in relation to health and disease.
Three of the articles published in this issue of the journal demonstrate the breadth of the field and the variety of investigations. The authors have dedicated their career to science and to the education of a younger generation who will carry on scientific inquiry to improve health and prosperity throughout the world.
The biography by Joel Rosenbloom demonstrates the many contributions of a distinguished scientist whose career as a researcher, scholar and educator covered many areas including collagen, elastin and most recently the role of fibronectin in fibrosisCitation1. The article (Nash et al) from Bob Guldberg’s group at the University of Oregon reviews the use of biosensors that monitor musculoskeletal health and demonstrates how much research has progressed toward the use of innovative technologies not only to determine the status of a tissue but also the regenerative capacity during repair and regenerationCitation2. An abiding interest of many researchers in our field has been to strive toward understanding the metabolic and molecular defects in connective tissues. John Bateman and his colleagues comprehensively review the mutations of collagens that lead to misfolding of the proteins and the associated pathologiesCitation3.
These articles not only demonstrate how far the field has progressed based on the foundations laid by those who have preceded the younger generation of scientists but also point at the continuing endeavor for a better understanding through rigorous scientific inquiry.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Additional information
Funding
References
- Rosenbloom J. Joel Rosenbloom and the revolution in biomedical research. Connective Tissue Research. 2022 Mar:1–10. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2022.2047668.
- Nash KE, Ong KG, Guldberg RE. Implantable biosensors for musculoskeletal health. Connective Tissue Research. 2022 Feb:1–15. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2022.2041002.
- Bateman JF, Shoulders MD, Lamandé SR. Collagen misfolding mutations: the contribution of the unfolded protein response to the molecular pathology. Connective Tissue Research. 2022 Feb:1–18. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2022.2036735.