New journal highlights VCU Life Sciences research

By Mike Frontiero and Lemont Kier

RICHMOND, Va. - The publisher of one of the world's most prestigious chemistry journals has launched a new publication that will serve as an official journal of the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity (CSBC) at Virginia Commonwealth University and raise its profile in the international scientific community.

Chemistry & Biodiversity - published monthly by Zurich, Switzerland-based Verlag Helvetica Chemica Acta - features original research papers, short communications, invited reviews and commentaries for an international audience interested in chemistry and the life sciences. It will cover research fields straddling the border between the chemical and biological sciences, with the ultimate goal of broadening the understanding of how nature works at a molecular level.

The CSBC is a research institution at VCU whose mission is to build an academic community centered on integrative discovery science, systems biology and the principles of complexity to address the challenges of the life sciences revolution of the 21st century.  "It's an honor for the CSBC to sponsor a journal of this high caliber," said Gregory A. Buck, Ph.D., CSBC director. "It meets the objectives of our mission."

Buck is one of several VCU faculty members whose editorials and research articles were submitted to the journal�s inaugural issue. Other VCU contributors were Thomas F. Huff, Ph.D., vice provost for Life Sciences; Glen E. Kellogg, Ph.D., associate professor of medicinal chemistry; Fred M. Hawkridge, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Chemistry; CSBC fellows Danail Bonchev, Ph.D. and Lowell Hall, Ph.D.; and Lemont B. Kier, Ph.D., the journal's associate editor and a professor of medicinal chemistry.

"Being associated with a journal that accepts high-quality submissions will advance the CSBC's image and reputation," said Kier. "And having several VCU faculty members on the journal's editorial advisory board certainly adds luster." The 55-member editorial advisory board includes CSBC fellows Donald J. Abraham, Ph.D., professor of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry; Danail Bonchev; Umesh Desai, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicinal chemistry; Sarah C. Rutan, Ph.D., professor of chemistry; and Donald D. Shillady, Ph.D., professor of chemistry. 

Several leading scientists from the international community have pledged their support for the journal. Albert Eschenmoser, Ph.D., of the Scripps Research Institute and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, will serve as the honorary chairman of the editorial board. The CSBC will serve as the North American branch of the editorial office.

Verlag Helvetica Chemica Acta, located in Zurich, Switzerland, and a member of the Wiley family of publishers, will house the main editorial office of Chemistry & Biodiversity, and Helvetica Chemica Acta, its flagship journal, will help provide resources for the new journal. "Helvetica Chemica Acta enjoys a tradition of excellence in the publication of research from all subdisciplines of chemistry, and ranks among the top chemistry journals," said Kier.

For more information about the journal, go to www.chembiodiv.ch/index.html.