Please visit http://www.informapharmascience.com/bmk for detailed Instructions for Authors and http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tbmk to submit a paper
Biomarkers is now entering its 14th year of publication and the journal’s success and popularity is demonstrated most simply by a doubling of the original 4 issues per year to 8. It seems to me that this proves the founding editor’s (John Timbrell) foresight that there was a serious need for an international journal to cover the numerous ways in which biomarkers could be used. John’s research interests, and therefore the roots of Biomarkers, are in toxicology and focussed on biomarkers of exposure, response and susceptibility to harm caused by chemicals in the human environment (such as biomarkers for safety assessment and clinical pharmacology) and it is noteworthy that the journal enjoys an enviable reputation in the ISI Toxicology category, being ranked 68th out of 138 journals. Biomarkers also enjoys a similar ranking (37th/73) in the Biotechnology arena, reflecting the disparate ways that biomarkers are currently employed in clinical/translational medicine, namely:-
pharmacogenomics and companion molecular diagnostics
patient selection and monitoring therapeutic response (personalised medicine)
drug development go/no go decisions
regulatory issues
I wish to build on these new applications, albeit not at the expense of toxicology, so that by the end of my 3 year tenure Biomarkers becomes a monthly publication providing comprehensive coverage of biomarkers research and application.
John, who I have known personally for over 35 years and with whom I worked with closely for 8 years at King’s College London, retired in September 2007. Catherine Waterfield, who I also respect as an innovator in the field of biomarker discovery using novel tools such as metabonomics, took over as temporary Editor in Chief until such time a new person willing and able to maintain John’s foresight and high standards of peer review could be identified. This process has not been without its difficulties, however, with the launch of the electronic submission tool, Manuscript Central, the submission, review and Editor’s decision process will be streamlined and consequently the time from receipt to publication will be considerably reduced. Together with a respectable Impact Factor of 1.978 I hope all contributors will be satisfied. I would like to extend my special thanks to John and Cathy, Kelly BeruBe and Gabriele Sabbioni, and Kristina Munn and Cleo Hall at Informa who have managed the submission and peer review process in the interim between Editors thus, permitting me to start with a clean copy/sheet of paper!
Quick and rigorous peer review will be adhered to now that all submissions are via Manuscript Central; a system that is committed to quick turnaround, tirelessly reminding all in the editorial process if they slip behind their deadlines. An extra benefit is that contributors can track the progress of their manuscript through the system. Nevertheless, we do appreciate that good research is being conducted in developing countries. For those who may not have unlimited access to the internet I and/or the Editorial Office at Informa can assist in the submission process. Help with English usage is also acceptable as I appreciate that even a native can find this difficult at times (e.g., the use of my apostrophes!). Fortunately, everybody is committed to enabling Biomarkers to consistently deliver at the cutting edge of science. Therefore, in addition to providing stability for our journal, I will attend the Biomarkers Summit in London in February, the Biomarkers World Congress in Philadelphia in May and the European Biomarkers Summit in Barcelona in November. My purpose here is to keep abreast of new developments that I will distil into a new Meetings Report section in Biomarkers, as well as identify experts to share their innovative insights in a new review/’Biomarkers Elsewhere’ section planned for 2010. From a more personal viewpoint I hope to meet you, our contributing authors, to enhance the Biomarkers community and help our journal go from strength to strength!
Best wishes for the New Year and hope to meet you soonest.
Alan Paine,
Emeritus Professor of Toxicology,
Queen Mary, University of London,
London, UK
E-mail: [email protected]