Welcome to Anatomia: A New Open Access Journal

As the Editor-in-Chief, I am honored and pleased to introduce Anatomia (ISSN: 2813-0545) [1], a new open access journal published by MDPI, which is designed to publish peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of anatomical sciences. Why a new journal in the area of morphology? Anatomy is the root of modern medical knowledge, and it is a fundamental discipline in medical education and life sciences with a seminal role in medical and biological research. The progress of anatomical knowledge shaped the history of medicine and inspired arts and humanities. Such a wide scenario calls for a dedicated anatomy journal, where all these aspects find the natural source of publication. This enables the various fields of anatomy to be collected in a single journal aimed at covering the whole ever-growing field of anatomy and its multidisciplinary outcomes.

Since ancient times the structure of organisms has attracted human curiosity. Anatomy is a discipline that contains in its etymology the method of dissection to describe systems and organs of the body. For several centuries this knowledge remained far from practical medicine, and it was merely included in philosophia naturalis. The foundation of modern anatomy by Andreas Vesalius revolutionized the approach to human dissection during the renaissance period. Today the discipline of anatomy can be classified into a number of branches, including gross (macroscopic) anatomy, microscopic anatomy, and several modern techniques, such as endoscopy, magnetic resonance, tomography, angiography, etc., allow performing a “living anatomy”.

All aspects related to anatomy, including morphological techniques, lie within the scope of the journal. Multidisciplinary approaches including the biochemistry of the cell, molecular and cell biology with an outcome strongly related to anatomical findings are also covered. The journal encourages publications within novel research fields, such as how gene expression modifies or maintains anatomical structures. The journal is planned to include both in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies on humans and animal cells, tissues, organs and systems. Anatomical studies based on structural losses, morphogenesis, regeneration and transplants, as well as modern imaging techniques, are housed properly in the journal. This is constructed through an integrated perspective, which includes comparative and veterinary anatomy. At the same time, I wish to enrich the journal with thematic issues and featured articles dealing with the glorious past of this discipline by focusing on the history of anatomy to rediscover a long tradition of morphological investigations.

Anatomia publishes research articles, critical reviews, communications and technical notes. In addition, manuscripts regarding research perspectives and challenging issues are considered. Thematic issues are thought to focus on a specific topic, which might be an organ, a research field, a system, a method or even provocative issues in the field of anatomy. They are often edited by a member of the Editorial Board; however, proposals from the whole scientific community related to the field are welcome. Independent submissions are accepted at any time, and my commitment includes that papers will be quickly processed and published as soon as possible.

There is no restriction on the length of the papers, thus giving authors the opportunity to provide their comments and experimental data in as much detail as possible. I am proud to emphasize how the journal is supported by a qualified international Editorial Board, which features renowned scholars among active scientists spanning diverse morphological disciplines. Their expertise and judgment will ensure that all articles published in Anatomia fulfill the highest scientific standard in anatomical culture.