Brian Plosky. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By Brian Plosky

While I have been a scientific editor for 17 years and editor-in-chief of Molecular Cell for more than five years, I had previously never traveled to China.

I have interacted with many exceptional Chinese scientists working either in China or other countries, but it is clear that in the past several years both the quantity and quality of molecular biology research happening in China has grown and continues to grow. But seeing it firsthand and getting to meet in person, instead of virtually, helped me to better understand the perspectives of scientists in China and to consider the opportunities for future collaboration.

On my first visit to China this January, I was able to visit three cities, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing to meet with over 65 scientists at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, CAS (Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology), Westlake University, Tsinghua University and Peking University.

I also had the opportunity to present at each institute and share what type of science Molecular Cell is interested in publishing and how scientists in China can work with our editors and Cell Press more broadly to publish their most exciting work. The research that I learned about and the facilities that I saw were impressive. It is clear that efforts to recruit top scientists and support their research are paying off, with some great work in structural biology, genomics, proteomics, and cell biology using cutting-edge technology.

Molecular Cell was launched in 1997 as a home for "the best molecular biology" and as a companion to the flagship journal of Cell Press, Cell. Over the years it has maintained this identity and flourished as a high-impact journal where researchers aim to publish some of their most important discoveries.

The initial concept for the journal was somewhat similar to our recently launched Multi-Journal Submission platform, where authors can choose to have their papers considered by multiple journals at once. It has always been possible for authors to submit papers to Cell and opt to have their papers also considered for Molecular Cell, but over time the editorial teams grew and became separate entities to allow Molecular Cell to find its own path.

Many fields consider the journal to be a home for some of their most important discoveries. Some of the papers we have had the privilege to publish could be considered "foundational" and guide the direction for future research on mechanisms of gene expression, genome maintenance, protein quality control, metabolism, cancer, inflammation, immunity and more. These basic discoveries have been part of the framework for the development of tools (such as for genome engineering or targeted protein degradation), or for treatment of disease. Some fields, like those centered around the production, maintenance, and turnover of DNA, RNA, and proteins will generally have a home at Molecular Cell.

That said, as more established fields mature and as other fields show the potential for new mechanistic exploration, the topics which we have published have shifted and will continue to do so. Moving forward, our focus with continue to be on understanding biology at the level of molecular mechanisms, while also going beyond these mechanisms to share important discoveries, technologies and resources.

So much of the excellent science that I learned about on this visit fits well with the aims of Molecular Cell, and our goal of publishing papers that help maintain a cycle between exciting biological discoveries, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the biology, and the development of new tools that can be used both for future discovery and exploration of mechanisms. Based on my meetings, I foresee that there will be further growth in the number of papers we publish from China and increased interactions between our editors and scientists in China.

For example, in partnership with Peking University, we are co-organizing Cell Symposia: Functional RNAs. This meeting will strengthen our ties with leaders in the field from China and help share some of the great science happening in China with researchers from around the world. It will also present another opportunity for Cell Press editors to visit more researchers in China.

Also, I hope that some of the graduate students and postdocs, who attended my presentations and learned about the responsibilities of scientific editors, might be inspired to consider this as a career option. While Cell Press already has several editors based in China, we'll certainly be looking for more in the near future.

Brian Plosky is the editor-in-chief of Molecular Cell, and has worked at Cell Press since 2006.

Comment

Molecular Cell has been one of my favorite journals since I was a graduate student. It publishes studies on the molecular mechanisms of basic cellular processes, including DNA replication, transcription, translation, signal transduction, cell cycle, cell death, autophagy and cell metabolism. It is particularly interested in research that addresses long-standing questions, opens new research avenues, brings unexpected discoveries and alters the way we think about biological processes.

Cell publishes findings of unusual significance across a wide range of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signal transduction, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics, offering a broader perspective.

As a companion to Cell, Molecular Cell holds an esteemed reputation globally. Since its establishment in 1997, it has published numerous important and landmark scientific research advancements, making it an essential academic resource for life science researchers.

Li Zhuang, the commentator, is an associate professor at the School of Life Sciences, Hubei University.