Welcome to MedChemComm

Welcome to the first issue of MedChemComm, a new journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry. RSC Publishing is one of the most important publishers of chemical science research, and their reputation for publishing science of the very best quality has now been brought to the key area of medicinal chemistry.

Medicinal chemistry has seen tremendous advances in recent years. Not only have knowledge and available technologies moved on significantly, but we have entered a new era where medicinal chemistry at the interfaces with biology and physics is providing new answers in the search for safe and effective new medicines. Research into the medicinal chemistry and chemical genomics of new target classes (such as those involved in epigenetics), and the intersection of biologics and small molecules are just two of the current topics that are pushing the boundaries of medicinal chemistry research.

It is our aim for MedChemCommto not only publish the most significant research in traditional areas of medicinal chemistry, but also to publish research which brings new thinking to the subject and which challenges perceptions of what is possible in drug discovery; for example, research into new design paradigms which take medicinal chemists beyond “rule of five” compounds, or research which addresses therapeutic targets previously thought to be “undruggable”.

Our hope is that MedChemCommwill become a valuable forum for academic and industrial scientists engaged in the application of chemistry to understand and solve problems in biology that have the potential to underpin the invention of new medicines. New research in MedChemCommwill be published as Concise Articles. These will be complemented by Reviewarticles, which will bring together recent research in key areas of medicinal chemistry.

Submissions will be handled by our three Associate Editors. Ming-Qiang Zhang is running the Asia-Pacific office while Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova looks after submissions from The Americas. The third Associate Editor office, covering European submissions, is run by Rob Leurs. Along with a dedicated team of Publishing Editors at the RSC they will ensure that submissions to MedChemCommwill be handled fairly, quickly and efficiently. All of our articles will be free for anyone to access until the end of 2011, following a simple registration procedure

MedChemCommis the official partner journal of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC). The EFMC is a body which represents 23 scientific organisations from 21 European countries. Its objective is to advance the science of medicinal chemistry by promoting cooperation and encouraging contacts and exchanges between medicinal chemists in Europe and around the World. The EFMC's newsletter, MedChemWatch, which is published three times per year, will be included in print issues of MedChemComm. Gerhard Ecker, President of the EFMC, is a member of the MedChemCommEditorial Board.

In addition to Gerhard, Sylvie, Ming and Rob we are delighted to be joined on our Editorial Board by Carlos Barbas III, Mark Bunnage, Cathy Peishoff, Motonari Uesugi and David Rees. The Editorial Board will be supported by an impressive Advisory Board and also the RSC Publishing team behind Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry(OBC) and Natural Product Reports(NPR), led by Managing Editor Richard Kelly.

Our aim is for MedChemCommto become one of the premier resources for medicinal chemists and we hope that you will submit some of your own work to the journal. Richard and the Editorial Board will be happy to discuss the journal with you and answer any questions that you may have. Simply contact the Editorial office at RSC Publishing, or chat to us at one of the many conferences which we will be attending over the coming months.

Professor Greg Verdine

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Dr Tony Wood

Co-Editor-in-Chief

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