As a continuation of Archives Internationales de Physiologie, (founded in 1904), Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry has a long-standing tradition as a leading publication in its field. However, with the recent explosion of scientific information, it has become impossible for a journal to cover two areas like physiology and biochemistry in a comprehensive way. The decision to change the scope of the journal is an attempt to reposition the title within a highly specialised field at the intersection of physiology and biochemistry. Special emphasis will be placed on the molecular basis of metabolic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. The complex nature of these diseases must be addressed by the integrated publication of innovative and potentially provocative hypotheses resulting from cellular and molecular studies. The new Editorial Board aims to serve this increasing demand by generating a new forum devoted to the molecular basis of metabolic disease.
With the first issue of the relaunched Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry we try to contribute to our understanding of insulin signalling, glucose transporter expression and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Enhanced knowledge of the complex pathways that lead to insulin resistance in liver and muscle and to dysfunction of the pancreatic beta-cell will be an invaluable tool for defining new drug targets and developing novel anti-diabetic compounds. We hope that the future issues of our Journal will lend support to the ongoing attempts to combat metabolic diseases by using cellular and molecular strategies.