January 2024
Issue 2
Letter from the JCTS Editor
Christopher Lindsell, Ph.D
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS)
This month, I begin serving as Editor-in-Chief of JCTS. It is an incredible privilege, and I am humbled to be entrusted with the journal’s continued growth. I start my tenure with the good fortune of a stable foundation and excellent reputation built by Dr. Berglund, and by Dr. Mashhour before him. Thank you for creating such a wonderful platform. I am also fortunate to be supported by a remarkable editorial board, a board that is both passionate about clinical and translational science, and thoughtful about how the journal can broadly influence our future by disseminating lessons from our current state. As the specialty of clinical and translational science continues to evolve, the editorial board has carefully shepherded the quality of research towards the level of rigor expected of a major journal. I am delighted that we are now a chosen vehicle for supporting systematic advances in clinical and translational science by highlighting challenges, opportunities, and innovations in thematic areas.
While our journal is well positioned, there is much work still to be done. Over the past several months, the Publications Committee and editorial board have held numerous discussions to develop and prioritize new opportunities, and I am pleased to share some of the ideas with all of you. First, we must meet the increasing number of submissions head on by expanding and enhancing the role of the editorial board in decision making. Over the coming year, the board will increasingly be engaged in managing our thematic issues, including setting priorities and identifying new areas where manuscript collections might be effective in advancing how we do clinical and translational research. My hope is for the journal to provide guidance to investigators on selecting and using contemporary research approaches, easily navigable and customizable to any study context. Second, we must continue to elevate the rigor and reproducibility of science reported in the journal. This needs continued excellence in the peer review and editorial processes. I am continuously impressed by the involvement and engagement of our editors and the reviewer community yet recognize the growing burden as the number of submissions continues to increase. To maintain rapid review timelines coupled with high quality reviews, the editorial board will be working together to establish expectations and to develop the tools for both editors and reviewers to meet those expectations. The need to expand the editorial board and to increase the reviewer pool is also under discussion. This builds to the third area of development, which is how the journal supports training and education of the clinical and translational research community. Beyond reporting on training, mentoring, and workforce development initiatives, we are exploring opportunities for increased training around peer review and scientific publishing, building on the existing junior editor program.
Over the coming months, I will share more information about how we intend to execute on these priority areas, as well as other initiatives that develop. As you publish with us, please don’t hesitate to share your experiences, and your ideas for how we may better serve your needs. There is an ideal opportunity for sharing your feedback with me directly by joining us Translational Science, just a few months from now. Until then, I look forward to receiving your manuscripts – without which the journal would not exist.
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News from the Hill
Over the past decade, the end of the calendar year and congressional session has been characterized by a hectic effort on Capitol Hill to pass the annual appropriations measures and other must-pass bills ahead of the holidays. This year is an exception. Lawmakers are still debating a foreign policy-focused emergency supplemental appropriations package. While the Senate stayed in session an extra week, there was no breakthrough on negotiations, though the extra time was used to confirm military promotions that had been delayed for nearly the entire year. The lack of progress on the supplemental package delayed further negotiations on final FY 2024 spending measures. Some federal programs are on a continuing resolution (CR) until January 19th, while most programs are on a CR until February 2nd, which means lawmakers will have limited time to pass a final package when the convene early next year (and may need to pass another short-term CR).
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Translational Science Today
NIH-Developed HIV Antibodies Protect Animals in Proof-of-Concept Study
Three different HIV antibodies each independently protected monkeys from acquiring simian-HIV (SHIV) in a placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study intended to inform development of a preventive HIV vaccine for people. The antibodies—a human broadly neutralizing antibody and two antibodies isolated from previously vaccinated monkeys—target the fusion peptide, a site on an HIV surface protein that helps the virus fuse with and enter cells.