Announcements

1 August 2025
Meet Us at the 2025 BMES Annual Meeting, 8–12 October 2025, San Diego, USA


Conference: 2025 BMES Annual Meeting
Date: 8–12 October 2025
Location: San Diego, USA

MDPI will be attending the 2025 BMES Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society as an exhibitor from 8 to 12 October 2025, welcoming researchers from diverse backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas.

The Annual Meeting is the premier gathering of biomedical engineers and allied fields, and 2025 promises to be another standout year following a record-breaking meeting in 2024. This year’s event will bring together more than 5,500 attendees, focusing on health and wellness through engineering innovation.

Join us in the beautiful coastal city of San Diego, California, for the 2025 Annual Meeting. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego in October 2025!

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the Annual Meeting:

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information, please visit https://www.bmes.org/2025/annualmeeting.

31 July 2025
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #25 - 8,000 Staff Worldwide, Korea Visit, 100,000 Preprints, Malaysia Roundtable, Canada Consortium Deal

Welcome to the MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter.

In these monthly letters, I will showcase two key aspects of our work at MDPI: our commitment to empowering researchers and our determination to facilitating open scientific exchange.


Opening Thoughts

Talent Drives Our Progress

For the first time in MDPI’s history, we now have over 8,000 colleagues across the company. I would like to take a moment to celebrate this milestone and acknowledge the driving force behind our growth and success: our people.

As the world’s leading fully open access publisher, MDPI has grown thanks to the dedication, talent, and teamwork of colleagues across the company. Already halfway through 2025, we’ve welcomed nearly 2,000 new colleagues. 

“Our achievements are also about the people behind them”

We now manage over 475 journals, with 298 receiving an Impact Factor, and hundreds more indexed in major databases, including 343 in Scopus, and 92 by PubMed. As the reach and impact of our journals continues to grow, so does the need for dedicated and qualified teams to support that growth. Thus, attracting and retaining exceptional talent remains a cornerstone of our success.

Our achievements are not just about the results of journal expansion, however: they’re about the people behind them. From our hardworking editors to our meticulous English editing and production teams – from our journal relationship specialists, public relations, marketing and communications professionals to our conference teams and the project teams behind Preprints, Scilit, SciProfiles, JAMS and more. Our success reflects the work of thousands of people showing up each day, taking pride in their work, and committed to excellence and service.

What we’re doing to support talent:

  • Investing in onboarding and training to help new colleagues feel welcomed and empowered to thrive.
  • Creating clearer career paths across all functions, from editorial to communications and beyond.
  • Launching mentorship programs and internal knowledge-sharing sessions to promote growth and collaboration.
  • Evolving our recognition and rewards programs to better celebrate your contributions.
  • Expanding our training systems and platforms.

MDPI’s in-house training department offers over 215 training courses, covering topics from editorial development to cross-cultural collaboration. In 2024 alone, we had 44 full-time trainers and 196 part-time training assistants supporting the learning and development needs of colleagues worldwide. These efforts ensure our teams are equipped with the skills and confidence to grow professionally and contribute meaningfully.

Over two-thirds of our workforce is editorial, and of our more than 5,400 editors, 87% hold a Master’s degree and 6% a PhD. Their collective contributions are central to delivering a high-quality publishing experience and supporting global academic communication.

As we celebrate this milestone, we also aim to continue on a path of steady and sustainable growth, one that balances journal expansion with investment in people, outreach, processes, and innovation. Together, we are shaping the future of open access and academic publishing. Thank you for your hard work, your ideas, and your commitment to serving the global research community.

Let’s continue working together to create a culture where great talent grows and every colleague feels valued.

Impactful Research

Visiting South Korea: Building Connections and Supporting the MDPI Seoul Office

In July, I had the opportunity to visit our team in Seoul and engage directly with academic communities in South Korea. The visit focused on deepening MDPI’s relationships with local universities, institutions, and partners, and supporting the great work of our colleagues at the MDPI Seoul office.

Korea Association of Private University Libraries (KAPUL) Conference

A highlight of the visit was our participation in the Korea Association of Private University Libraries (KAPUL) Conference, where we presented to over 100 academic librarians. I delivered a keynote speech titled “The Evolving Publishing Landscape: Open Access and Beyond,” while my colleague Dr. Jisuk Kang (Public Affairs Specialist) shared insights in her presentation, “Inside MDPI: Editorial Practices & Research Integrity.”

Facts & Figures: South Korea

  • South Korea is MDPI’s sixth-largest publishing country by article volume (over 90,000 MDPI papers published to date).
  • In 2024, Korea ranked 16th globally by total publications, and 6th (among these top 20 countries) by citation impact.
  • 52% of Korean publications in 2024 were OA – and 73% of those were Gold OA.
  • MDPI published about 20% of all OA papers from Korea in 2024.
  • Over 2,000 active Editorial Board Members from South Korea contribute to MDPI journals, with 11 Section Editors-in-Chief.
  • We currently have 11 Institutional Open Access Program agreements and two society partnerships in Korea:
    • Korean Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology (with MDPI journal Pharmaceutics)
    • Korean Tribology Society (with MDPI journal Coatings)

MDPI Seoul Office and the First Korea Salon

Our Seoul office serves as a regional hub for marketing, communications, and community engagement. It continues to grow in size and influence, prioritizing supporting scholar visits, conference sponsorships, and outreach events such as the recent MDPI Korea Salon.

The inaugural Salon, themed “Exploring Research Trends in Medical Publishing, Ethics, and AI,” brought together over 20 scholars and Editorial Board members serving MDPI journals.

Thank you to our guest speakers including Professors Young-Joon Surh of Seoul National University, Kwang-Sig Lee of Korea University, and Jin-Won Noh of Yonsei University who presented on the landscape of medicine in South Korea and across the globe. The Salon also included presentations from MDPI colleagues on Open Access, ethics, and how the IOAP can support researchers in this field.

“Our Seoul office continues to grow in size and influence”

Looking Ahead

MDPI is already the leading OA publisher in South Korea, yet challenges and misconceptions around OA and APCs remain. Visits like this one, along with the ongoing efforts of our Seoul office, are important to building understanding, trust, and long-term relationships with the local academic community.

A big thank-you to our colleagues in Seoul for their warm hospitality, professionalism, and energy! Our new office is well situated, staffed, and ready to grow. This visit marked an important step forward in our continued mission to support global research communities and advance Open Science.

Inside MDPI

Preprints.org Reaches 100,000 Preprints: A Major Milestone for MDPI and Open Science

In case you missed it, Preprints.org recently surpassed 100,000 preprints posted. This is a major milestone for our platform and one worth celebrating.

Preprints are a key pillar of the Open Science movement, which promotes transparency, equity, and faster knowledge-sharing through initiatives such as Open Access, Open Data, Open Source, and Open Peer Review. The benefits of Open Science extend beyond researchers, as they support funders, educators, policymakers, and the public in advancing discovery and innovation.

What is behind the 100,000 preprints milestone?

Since its launch in 2016, Preprints.org has grown into one of the world’s leading preprint platforms, now ranked fifth globally by publication volume.

More than 350,000 researchers have contributed, helping shape this dynamic and collaborative space for sharing early-stage research across all disciplines.

Read the full announcement here:
https://www.mdpi.com/about/announcements/12202

“Preprints.org has grown into one of the world’s leading preprint platforms”

Some quick facts worth noting:

  • About 56% of the preprints on Preprints.org are later published in peer-reviewed journals.
  • The platform is now indexed in Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Europe PMC, and Crossref, helping improve visibility and trust in the preprints shared.
  • Recent upgrades – including a revamped website, new features such as search subscriptions, curated reading lists, and community feedback tools (PREreview) – show our commitment to developing Preprints.org in line with researchers’ needs.

This growth and progress would not be possible without the dedication of the Preprints.org team, our Advisory Board members, screeners, and colleagues across MDPI who support the platform’s development. This milestone is a reminder of our shared mission: to accelerate scientific communication and build a more open, transparent, and inclusive research ecosystem.

I’m excited to see what’s ahead as we approach Preprints.org’s 10-year anniversary in 2026!

Coming Together for Science

Malaysia Media Roundtable: Educating on Open Access and MDPI’s Presence in Southeast Asia

At the end of June, I had the opportunity to participate in a strategic media roundtable in Kuala Lumpur, focused on raising awareness about the importance of Open Access (OA) and on MDPI’s growing presence in Southeast Asia.

We welcomed five Malaysian media outlets for an engaging private session that included presentations and open discussion.

I gave an overview of the benefits of Open Access, MDPI’s global developments, and our collaborations in Malaysia.

My colleague Yu Nwe Soe (Public Relations Specialist), presented on our editorial process, helping to clarify how MDPI supports authors and maintains research quality.

We were also joined by two local Editorial Board Members (EBMs) who offered first-hand insights into their experiences working with MDPI and how OA has shaped their publishing choices.

The discussion covered a range of questions from the press, from OA publishing models to editorial standards, and highlighted MDPI’s unique contribution to accelerating scientific communication in the region.

As the leading fully OA publisher, we see it as our responsibility to continue educating research communities and the broader public on the impact of OA, especially in emerging and high-growth academic markets.

Spotlight on Malaysia

Malaysia continues to rise as a regional research hub, with five universities ranked in the global top 200 and 11 subjects in the global top 50. In 2024, Malaysia ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia in total publication output, 10th in Asia, and 25th globally.

MDPI’s presence in Malaysia:

  • Over 21,000 research articles published to date from Malaysian institutions
  • More than 1,100 articles published in 2024 alone
  • In the period 2020–2024, 54% of Malaysia’s total publications were OA
  • 36 EBMs from Malaysia, across 27 MDPI journals
  • Around 100 conferences sponsored in Malaysia in the past five years
  • MDPI is hosting the 2nd International Conference on AI Sensors and Transducers in Kuala Lumpur (29 July- 3 August 2025)

Media Coverage & Editorial Voices

Following the roundtable, we saw positive coverage across several local outlets, with articles highlighting MDPI’s role in empowering Malaysian researchers. Notable pieces included:

Our local EBMs also shared their perspectives:

Prof. Denny Ng Kok Sum (Sunway University, EBM of MDPI journal Processes) and Prof. Lee (EBM of MDPI journal Bacteria) share their experiences with MDPI and the role Open Access plays in their publication decisions.

“We see it as our responsibility to continue educating research communities on the impact of OA”

“I didn’t want my work stuck behind a paywall.”
— Prof. Denny Ng Kok Sum, Sunway University, Processes Editorial Board Member

“Open Access opens doors for collaboration and visibility, especially in fast-developing regions like ours.”
— Prof. Lee, Bacteria Editorial Board Member

This roundtable marked another step in building trust, understanding, and collaboration in Southeast Asia. A big thank-you to the MDPI Malaysia team and all those who contributed to the event’s success.

Closing Thoughts

MDPI Signs First North American Agreement with Canadian Consortium

We are proud to announce a major milestone for MDPI Canada and an important step forward for OA in North America.

In July, our Toronto office finalized MDPI’s first North American consortium agreement with the Federal Science Libraries Network (FSLN). This is a significant achievement that strengthens our expansion in Canada and reinforces our global commitment to supporting Open Science.

This two-year agreement gives Canadian federal agencies access to MDPI’s IOAP, including discounted article processing charges for affiliated researchers across our portfolio of over 475 OA journals. It lowers barriers for Canadian scientists to share their work more openly and reach a global audience.


Ryan Siu, Institutional Partnerships Manager at MDPI.

“The Open Science landscape in Canada is rapidly evolving, with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy set for renewal by the end of 2025. This reflects ongoing efforts to foster greater scientific transparency and accessibility at a national policy level,” says Ryan Siu, Institutional Partnerships Manager at MDPI.

“Our new agreement with FSLN represents our shared commitment to further these efforts and foster wider readership. By aligning with these initiatives, we make progress towards research that’s both inclusive and impactful, benefiting local and global communities alike.”

Participating FSLN institutions include:

  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Health Canada
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Natural Resources Canada

By partnering with some of Canada’s largest science-based agencies, we reaffirm our goal of advancing OA across continents. We look forward to developing our support for Canadian researchers and continuing to drive progress in Open Science across North America and beyond.

Stefan Tochev
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG

29 July 2025
Meet Us at the 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Science, 26–29 August 2025, Kyoto, Japan


The 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Molecular Science (ISFMS2025), organized by the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN: 1422-0067) and MDPI, will be held from 26 to 29 August 2025 in Kyoto, Japan.

This conference will present outstanding research results that elucidate the molecular mechanisms of biological functions and regulation and will also facilitate drug design based on molecular biology, biophysical characterization, in vivo environmental homeostasis, organ interactions based on sensory systems, the physiome, and AI-assisted analysis of protein structures and functions. It aims to bring together scientists, researchers, and engineers from across the world who are working in academia, national labs, and industry to discuss the latest advances in molecular science.

Topics that will be covered include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Protein structure and function;
  • Multidomain proteins;
  • Drug design and drug resistance;
  • Enzymes;
  • Molecular biology of galectins;
  • Glycobiophysics;
  • NMR spectroscopy;
  • Specific sensory systems;
  • Brain and systemic function.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at this conference:

  • International Journal of Molecular Sciences;
  • Current Issues in Molecular Biology;
  • Cells;
  • Bioengineering;
  • Biophysica;
  • BioTech;
  • Cancers;
  • International Journal of Translational Medicine;
  • Kinases and Phosphatases;
  • Microorganisms;
  • Molecules;
  • Synbio;
  • Antibiotics;
  • Antioxidants;
  • Applied Biosciences;
  • BioMed;
  • Biomedicines;
  • BioMedInformatics;
  • Membranes;
  • Antibodies.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please feel free to reach out online and start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at our booth and answering any questions you may have. For more information about this event, please click on the following link:  https://sciforum.net/event/ISFMS2025.

23 July 2025
Bioengineering | An Interview with One of the Authors of Highly Cited Paper—Prof. Frank W. Sellke

Prof. Frank W. Sellke is one of the authors of the highly cited article entitled “Intramyocardial Injection of Hypoxia-Conditioned Extracellular Vesicles Modulates Response to Oxidative Stress in the Chronically Ischemic Myocardium” published in Bioengineering (ISSN: 2306-5354).

The following is an interview with Prof. Sellke:

1. Can you tell me a bit about your background and what your research focuses on?
I grew up in Indiana and received my medical degree (MD) at the Indiana University School of Medicine. I trained in Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the  Indiana University Medical Center, NE Ohio University School of Medicine, and the University of Iowa. During my time at the University of Iowa, I did research with Dr David Harrison on microvascular physiology. I then moved to Boston, to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where I became Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at BIDMC, and to Harvard Medical School in 1990, where I became the Johnson & Johnson Professor of Surgery. I moved to Brown University in 2008 to become the Karlson & Karlson Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of CT Surgery. I recently stepped down from this position but continue to do research and some clinical work. My research focuses on the regulation of microcirculation in health and disease, especially in the setting of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes. I also investigate regenerative therapies for coronary artery disease, including stem cells, growth factors, and extracellular vesicles, and novel diabetic drugs.

2. What made you decide to publish a bioengineering article? Why did you choose Bioengineering MDPI?
It has a good reputation and has excellent peer review. The journal is easy to work with.

3. What was your experience publishing with Bioengineering MDPI?
We have published many articles with MDPI and Bioengineering.

4. Was it important to you that the journal is open access? How does open access publishing advance the field of bioengineering?
Open access increases readership and exposure.

5. What do you hope that readers will get from your paper?
We work in the area of regenerative medicine, extracellular vesicles for the treatment of CV disease, and we thought the journal was a good fit for our work.

6. What critical scientific or engineering problems did your research initially aim to address?Extracellular vesicles are derived from stem cells and may be a novel way to increase myocardial function and perfusion and alter oxidative stress, and improve cell signaling. Engineering EVs is one way to optimize the effect, potentially. Nearly all regenerative treatments of CV disease have failed in the clinical setting. Understanding how diabetes, medications, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia affect these therapies is a focus of our lab. All of these illnesses increase oxidative stress in the myocardium, and this may be one of the factors causing a diminished response to all regenerative treatments.

7. What are the current bottlenecks in this field, and how did you identify your research’s breakthrough point?
Nearly all regenerative therapies, growth factors, gene therapy, cell therapy, and now extracellular vesicles work very well in otherwise normal animals such as the mouse or the pig, but nearly all therapies in patients have not worked. Understanding why myocardial regeneration is possible in mice and otherwise normal larger animals, and nearly always negative in clinical trials, is a bottleneck. Diabetes, aging, and hypertension all increase oxidative stress in the myocardium, and this may be one of the factors causing a diminished response to all regenerative treatments and why stem-cell therapies and other regenerative therapies have failed to meet expectations.

8. Which technologies or tools played pivotal roles in designing your methodology (e.g., AI, microfluidics, 3D bioprinting)?
We use physiological and clinically relevant models of human disease in rodents and especially pigs. We feel this gives us a large amount of clinically relevant information as to why, derived from normal, young animal models. We do not need the use of AI or 3D printing for our work, but it may become relevant in the future.

9. Have your experiments or theoretical models undergone significant adjustments? What motivated those changes?
We started using porcine models of hypercholesterolemia and diabetes about 25 years ago. This has been the major adjustment in our lab. We have tested many drugs and pathways in the myocardium to provide mechanisms for why therapies work or do not work.

10. Why do you think this article has been highly cited?
It provides a mechanism as to why the use of extracellular vesicles may offer some advantage in the treatment of myocardial disease.

11. Are there follow-up studies planned based on this paper’s findings?
We are continuing our studies using engineered EVs to improve efficiency.

12. Did your research involve cross-disciplinary collaboration? How did teamwork shape the outcomes?
I am a cardiovascular surgeon, and I work with molecular biologists, cardiologists, and other microvascular scientists to perform our research. It is definitely a multidisciplinary approach.

13. How did early career researchers or students contribute to this work?
We always have several postdoctoral fellows working in the lab. Indeed, the first author (Dr. Doug Harris) is a surgical resident from Harvard who intends to be a cardiovascular surgeon in the future.

14. What was the greatest technical or theoretical challenge during this research, and how did you overcome it?
There are many technical (surgical) issues with our experiments, and these can produce significant problems, but we have overcome most of these. The main issue is that we still do not fully understand why myocardial tissue regeneration has not worked well clinically.

15. Were there difficulties in data acquisition or experimental reproducibility? How were they resolved?
While there are some technical issues, reproducibility has not been a major problem as long as the experiments are carefully planned and variability is minimized.

16. Which technological directions in bioengineering deserve the most attention over the next 5 years?
We will continue to work on the use of novel medications and regenerative treatment for the management of CV disease.

17. How is AI reshaping bioengineering research in disruptive ways?
AI provides information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain in a rapid manner.

18. What learning resources would you recommend for newcomers entering this field?
Obtain a good knowledge of medicine and a medical degree so you can understand what is important and currently available clinically.

 

15 July 2025
Bioengineering | Interview with the Author of a Highly Cited Paper—Dr. Anna Michopoulou

Dr. Anna Michopoulou is one of the authors of the highly cited article entitled “Stem Cell Therapies for Epidermolysis Bullosa Treatment” published in Bioengineering (ISSN: 2306-5354).

The following is an interview with Dr. Michopoulou:

  1. Can you tell us a bit about your background and what your research focuses on?

First of all, I would like to thank you for this interview. I am very honored by the journal’s interest and opportunity to present myself and my research interests. I am a biologist with a PhD in molecular and cellular biology from Claude Bernard University of Lyon (Lyon 1), where I conducted my research under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Rousselle at Laboratoire de Biologie Tissulaire et Ingénierie Thérapeutique in Lyon, an expert in extracellular matrix biology. My academic and research journey spans over a decade and has centered on skin biology, wound healing, and regenerative medicine, with a focus on cell–matrix interactions and tissue engineering. During my PhD, I investigated the role of the proteoglycan transmembrane receptor syndecan-1 in keratinocyte migration and how it regulates MMP-9 expression during skin repair. We uncovered a novel mechanism involving syndecan-1 and CD44 in response to laminin 332, which provided key insights into matrix remodeling during re-epithelialization. Building on that foundation, I continued my research in postdoctoral positions at the Lab of Biochemistry of the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), including a project funded by BIOHELLENIKA SA, under the supervision of Dr. George Koliakos, where I led efforts to develop anti-psoriatic treatments and 3D bioengineered skin substitutes. My postdoctoral studies were interdisciplinary, involving work on the design and optimization of biopolymer-based scaffolds, drug delivery systems, and cell therapies, often in collaboration with chemists, more specifically, the lab of Dr. Dimitrios Bikiaris (AUTh), clinicians, and biomedical engineers.

Overall, my work bridges basic scientific and applied biomedical research, aiming to develop therapeutic strategies for skin regeneration and disease treatment.

  1. What made you decide to publish a bioengineering article? Why did you choose MDPI’s Bioengineering?

I chose to publish in Bioengineering (MDPI) because the journal’s scope aligns directly with the interdisciplinary nature of my work, combining molecular and cellular biology, stem cell therapies, and skin regeneration. The open-access model also ensures broad visibility, which is especially important for rare diseases like Epidermolysis Bullosa, the focus of our article. Additionally, I had the privilege of serving as a Guest Editor for the Bioengineering Special Issue titled “Recent Advances in Skin Repair and Regeneration”, which I co-edited with Dr. Patricia Rousselle. This role gave me deeper insight into the journal’s editorial standards, peer review process, and scientific community. It also allowed me to help curate and highlight innovative research in the field, including my own contribution as a corresponding author of the article on stem cell-based approaches for treating Epidermolysis Bullosa. Therefore, I thought it was a meaningful opportunity to contribute both as an author and as part of the editorial team advancing the field.

  1. What do you hope that readers will get from your paper?

With this review paper, our primary goal was to offer readers a comprehensive yet accessible overview of current and emerging stem cell therapies for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)—a group of rare, severe, and often life-limiting skin disorders for which there are still no approved curative treatments. We wanted to consolidate and clarify the complex landscape of therapeutic strategies, focusing on hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, genetically corrected epidermal stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These strategies are evolving rapidly, and many clinicians or researchers outside the EB field may not be aware of their nuances, clinical trial progress, or limitations. We also emphasized the translational challenges, such as delivery methods, immune compatibility, and long-term graft viability, to give readers a realistic view of what stem cell therapies can and cannot yet achieve. Importantly, we highlighted how systemic forms of EB present unique difficulties that go beyond skin regeneration and require broader biological solutions. Finally, we hope this review will serve as a stimulus for collaboration and innovation, particularly for those working in adjacent fields like biomaterials or gene editing, to help close the gap between experimental treatments and durable, safe clinical applications.

  1. Why do you think this article has been highly cited?

I’m really glad that our review has attracted attention—it tells me that it filled a genuine need in the field. When we wrote it, our goal was to provide a clear and comprehensive synthesis of the various stem cell-based therapies being developed for Epidermolysis Bullosa, especially since the field was rapidly evolving but scattered across different disciplines.

I think it’s been cited frequently because it offered a structured overview that researchers could easily use to orient their own work, trying to cover everything from hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells to gene-corrected epidermal cells and iPSCs. We thought it would be very important to include a detailed analysis of clinical trial data, which many later reviews and experimental studies may have referred back to. What I’ve found particularly rewarding is seeing that several citations come from papers proposing next-generation approaches—like biomaterials, gene editing, or extracellular vesicles—where our review helped frame the background or justify new directions. That kind of scientific dialogue and continuity is exactly what we hoped to contribute to.

  1. Are there follow-up studies planned based on this paper’s findings?

Yes, I definitely hope so. When we wrote that review, I was working as a postdoctoral researcher at BIOHELLENIKA SA, a stem cell banking and biotechnology company in Thessaloniki, which is also my hometown. The company focuses on isolating and preserving stem cells from newborns and adults, and thus, it was a very productive environment for thinking about how these biological resources could be applied therapeutically, including for rare diseases like Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). I believe there is good perspective for a future collaboration, especially around stem cell-based treatments for EB, which remains an area of unmet clinical need. The review itself identified several open questions—from how mesenchymal stem cells exert their therapeutic effects to how we can improve delivery strategies using biomaterials and gene correction. Since then, I’ve been developing ideas for follow-up research involving 3D skin equivalents, engineered scaffolds, and potentially patient-derived iPSCs. These platforms could be used to test new therapies or model disease progression in a controlled setting. I'm also very interested in integrating material science and cell biology to make these treatments more effective and targeted. So yes, let’s say the review wasn’t a final word—it was a starting point. And I hope it continues to inspire both collaborative research and translational applications.

  1. How did early career researchers or students contribute to this work?

I believe that involving students and early career researchers in the conception and synthesis of projects is incredibly important—not just for the project itself, but for their own development as independent thinkers and scientists. In the case of this review, I worked closely with a junior collaborator who was just beginning to explore the field of regenerative medicine and stem cell biology. Writing a review—especially one that covers both molecular mechanisms and clinical applications—is a demanding task for someone early in their career. It requires critical reading, synthesis of diverse sources, and clear scientific writing. But, under the right supervision, it’s also one of the best opportunities to help them build essential research skills—how to assess the literature, identify knowledge gaps, and construct a narrative that moves science forward. In this project, my role was both scientific and mentorship-focused, guiding the process of outlining, researching, and refining the manuscript. I’m proud of the collaborative spirit of the paper and the fact that it became a learning experience as much as a scholarly one. Helping young scientists find their voice is one of the most rewarding parts of this kind of work.

11 July 2025
Bioengineering | Interview with One of the Authors—Dr. Karuna Nambi Gowri

Dr. Karuna Nambi Gowri is one of the authors of the highly cited article entitled “A Review of Barbed Sutures—Evolution, Applications and Clinical Significance” published in Bioengineering (ISSN: 2306-5354).

The following is an interview with Dr. Karuna Nambi Gowri:

1. Can you tell us a bit about your background and what your research focuses on?
My basic major is textile technology with a focus on textile and materials chemistry. During my PhD, I looked at different bioresorbable polymeric materials that could be used as absorbable sutures, and so my research focus is completely on the realm of sustainable biomaterials used for different applications, ranging from traditional textile finishes and biomedical textiles to, currently, non-woven and paper manufacturing.

2. What made you decide to publish a bioengineering article? Why did you choose MDPI’s Bioengineering journal?
I was involved in the realm of biomedical textile research and looking at different polymeric biomaterials that can be engineered and fabricated into innovative wound closure devices, barbed or knotless sutures. Since my research focus was to engineer polymeric biomaterials into these barbed sutures, we anticipated that Bioengineering would be a good place to get our review manuscript published. And this is the main reason we resorted to publishing it in the Bioengineering journal. The other reason why we chose to publish this journal is because of the wide scope of the journal itself.

3. Was it important to you that the journal is open access? How does open access publishing advance the field of bioengineering?
It was important to publish this article in an open access journal since we wanted this to be a baseline for future researchers who like to work on barbed sutures. If it is an open access manuscript, then it would be beneficial to them to actually review it and progress their research from there instead of going through a whole lot of research done over two decades. And open access publishing actually helps advance this field of bioengineering by creating more visibility of the work that was done previously, which would be a win-win situation for both the authors of the article and also the readers who read the article.

4. What do you hope that readers will get from your paper?
We looked through the literature to identify different barbed sutures and their properties that were already published and available for review and evaluation. But there weren’t many review manuscripts for barbed sutures from a material standpoint and there were review articles from clinical standpoints. And so our hope was that this would be a good collection of all the previous works that have been done and published in the area of barbed sutures, and that this manuscript would give a broad overview of how research on barbed sutures was and how it is expected to improve in the future.

5. What critical scientific or engineering problems did your research initially aim to address?
The critical scientific problem that we wanted to address in this research on barbed sutures was to see if we could make the fabrication of these barbed sutures more efficient and commercially scalable with easy manipulation of the barb geometries and parameters. So, in order to address this issue, we looked at switching the currently existing mechanical fabrication to a laser fabrication technique which would enable us to manipulate the barb geometries and parameters in a faster and more precise way, making it suitable for use in a lot more complicated surgical procedure.

6. What are the current bottlenecks in this field, and how did you identify your research’s breakthrough point?
The current bottleneck in the fabrication of barbed sutures is that all the commercially available barbed sutures have the same barb parameters irrespective of the surgery they are to be used in. However, from the literature and previous research studies, it can be seen that different surgical procedures require different barb parameters, since different procedures involve different tissue compositions and structures. So, our research aim was to identify alternative fabrication techniques to better manipulate the barb parameters, considering the final surgical procedure they could be used in. The breakthrough was that we were able to prove that an ultrashort pulsed laser system can be used to fabricate barbed sutures with customized barb parameters that are needed for their use for different surgical procedures.

7. Why do you think this article has been highly cited?
I think the reason for the high citation of this article is because this review manuscript is a collection of all the previous work that focuses on barbed sutures, inclusive of both patents and manuscripts. I guess it is easier for all future researchers who are willing to work in this area of barbed sutures, this article is like a compiled manuscript which has details from research done for over two decades in this area of biomedical textiles.

7 July 2025
Engineering Multidisciplinary Editorial Board Meeting Held in Singapore on 19 May 2025


MDPI Singapore successfully hosted its first in-person Engineering Multidisciplinary Editorial Board Meeting on 19 May 2025.

We are deeply thankful for the enthusiastic participation and strong support of our Editorial Board Members (EBMs). It was a valuable opportunity to connect face-to-face and discuss the future development of the engineering subject area. We would like to invite everyone to jointly review the content of this meeting, and we look forward to welcoming even more EBMs to our future gatherings.

The meeting kicked off with a light icebreaker, where participants introduced themselves and shared their academic backgrounds and experience with MDPI. This was followed by a brief overview of MDPI’s presence in the engineering field—showcasing our journals, performance statistics, and outreach activities.

Discussions then focused on ways to grow and enhance MDPI’s engineering portfolio. Topics included the following:

  • Strategies to attract high-quality submissions.
  • Improving journals’ visibility.
  • Enhancing author support and increasing submission success rates.
  • Strengthening the role and engagement of EBMs.
  • Identifying emerging research topics.
 

We wrapped up with an open sharing session, where EBMs reflected on their experiences working with MDPI and offered thoughtful suggestions for improvement. Their ideas were insightful and sparked some great conversations.

We are truly grateful to all attendees for their time, ideas, and commitment. Collaborating with such passionate scholars is an honor, and we look forward to working closely together to elevate research excellence in the engineering field.

Journals our EBMs are affiliated with:

  • Applied Sciences;
  • Aerospace;
  • Bioengineering;
  • JMMP.

4 July 2025
MDPI’s Newly Launched Journals in June 2025

Six new journals covering a range of subjects launched their inaugural issues in June 2025. We are excited to be able to share with you the newest research rooted in the value of open access. We are pleased to present the latest research and to make it accessible to all.

We extend our sincere thanks to all the Editorial Board Members for their commitment and expertise. Each journal is dedicated to upholding strong editorial standards through a thorough peer review process, ensuring impactful open access scholarship.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal Founding Editor-in-Chief Journal Topics (Selected)
Prof. Dr. Chang-Pu Sun,
China Academy of Engineering Physics, Beijing, China; Computational Science Research Center, China
Editorial | View inaugural issue
quantum information and phenomena; condensed matter physics and statistical physics; atomic, molecular, and optical physics; computational physics and mathematical methods
View journal scope | Submit an article
Prof. Dr. Hualiang Lin,
Sun Yat-sen University, China;
Prof. Dr. Jose L. Domingo,
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain
Editorial | View inaugural issue
green and organic food; green infrastructures; green exercise; environmental impact of the healthcare sector; effects of climate change on human health |
View journal scope | Submit an article
Prof. Dr. Francesco Veglio,
University of L’Aquila, Italy
Editorial | View inaugural issue
ultra-pure substances; water purification; air purification; gas purification; inorganic chemical purification; purification technologies
View journal scope | Submit an article
Prof. Dr. Junxing Zheng,
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
Editorial | View inaugural issue
computer-aided design and engineering; artificial intelligence and machine learning; building information modeling (BIM) and digital twins; robotics and automation in construction; smart sensors and Internet of Things (IoT); intelligent control systems and facilities management
View journal scope | Submit an article
Prof. Dr. Assunta Di Vaio, University of Naples Parthenope, Italy
Editorial | View inaugural issue
sustainability, managerial, and biodiversity accounting; carbon management accounting; corporate social responsibility; artificial intelligence and disclosure
View journal scope | Submit an article
Prof. Dr. Changjun Liu,
Sichuan University, China
Editorial | View inaugural issue
bioeffects of electromagnetic waves; electromagnetic science and engineering; microwave, millimeter-wave, and terahertz technologies; metamaterials and metasurfaces; communication, sensing, and networks; energy, power, and sustainable applications; quantum and emerging technologies; artificial intelligence and advanced fabrication
View journal scope | Submit an article
We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. If you are interested in launching a new open access journal with us, you are welcome to send an application here.

2 July 2025
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #24 - 2024 Impact Factor & CiteScore, MDPI Summits France & USA, Tu Youyou Award

Welcome to the MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter.

In these monthly letters, I will showcase two key aspects of our work at MDPI: our commitment to empowering researchers and our determination to facilitating open scientific exchange.


Opening Thoughts

MDPI’s 2024 Impact Factor Highlights

For those of our readers who are new to academic publishing, you may have heard some news in June around the Impact Factor release. Every year, typically in June, Clarivate releases its annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR), which include Journal Impact Factors (JIF). This metric is widely used in academic publishing to reflect the average number of citations received by recent articles in each journal.

While Impact Factor is just one of many indicators of journal influence, it remains a major milestone for authors, editors, and publishers. It’s used to assess journal visibility, researcher recognition, and scholarly reach. Throughout our international meetings and events, it’s clear that the Impact Factor is something many of our authors and editorial board members care about, as it can influence where they choose to submit an article and the funding they receive for their research.

“These results reflect the trust that the scholarly community places in MDPI”

MDPI’s 2024 Impact Factor Highlights

  • 298 MDPI journals received a Journal Impact Factor.
  • 60 journals earned their first-ever Impact Factor
    • To put this in perspective: MDPI’s 60 new journal acceptances into the Web of Science was the second highest number of any publisher in 2024, behind Elsevier and ahead of Springer Nature. Our 87% acceptance rate for journals submitted to Web of Science shows the strength of our editorial process and our proven ability to develop journals aligned with Clarivate’s 24 evaluation criteria.
    • Notably, Textiles, Mathematics, International Journal of Neonatal Screening, Smart Cities, Systems, and Pharmaceutics ranked in the top 10% in their respective categories, highlighting their growing influence and prestige within their academic fields. This shows that high-quality indexing goes beyond visibility; it upholds credibility and trust.
  • 193 MDPI journals are now ranked in the top 50% (Q1/Q2) of their subject categories.
    • What does this mean, and why is it important? Journals are ranked by quartiles within their field, based on their Impact Factor. Q1 represents the top 25% of journals in their category, Q2 the next 25%, and so on. Being in Q1 or Q2 shows that a journal is performing well relative to other journals in its category. Authors and institutions often look at quartile rankings when choosing where to publish – it’s an important indicator of visibility and recognition, within its respective category.
  • 116 of our previously ranked journals increased their Impact Factor.
  • 14 MDPI journals achieved an Impact Factor of 5.0 or higher, suggesting a high degree of influence and visibility.

These results reflect our staff's hard work: from our editorial and production teams to our indexing, communications, and data teams, and beyond. This also reflects the trust that the scholarly community places in MDPI, reinforcing the message that when researchers publish with MDPI, they publish with impact.

Open Access with Impact

As the leading fully open access publisher, our journals have received a total of 18.4 million citations in the Web of Science by the end of 2024, reflecting the growing reach and engagement of research published with MDPI. We are committed to making scientific research freely accessible to everyone, everywhere. With the support of more than 4.2 million contributing authors, we’re proud to support the global shift toward open access.

Further Reading

If you’d like to better understand how journals get indexed and why Impact Factors matter, please read this recent interview with Dr. Constanze Schelhorn (Head of Indexing). It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the role our indexing team plays in supporting journal indexing and visibility.

You can also read our official news announcement shared last week: MDPI Journals in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports.

Thank you to everyone, from our authors and reviewers to our editors and internal teams, who contributed to the progress of our journal indexing in 2024. We’re continuing to build journals that are recognized and trusted across disciplines.

Impactful Research

MDPI Journals See Continued Growth in 2024 CiteScore Results

Continuing our indexing updates, I’m pleased to share that MDPI has achieved strong results in the latest CiteScore metrics, released on 5 June by Scopus. These results reflect the collective efforts of our editors, reviewers, authors, and internal teams, with their dedication to quality and visibility in scientific publishing. You can read the full announcement here.

2024 Highlights:

  • 322 MDPI journals received a CiteScore (up from 274 last year).
  • 283 journals (88%) are ranked in Q1 or Q2 of their subject categories.
  • 237 journals (85%) saw an increase in their CiteScore compared to last year.
  • 48 journals received a CiteScore for the first time.
  • 39 journals are now placed in the top 10% of their subject areas.

“This growth highlights our commitment to supporting open, trusted science”

What is CiteScore and how is it measured?

CiteScore metrics are developed by Elsevier as an alternative to the Impact Factor. They measure the citation impact of journals and can be accessed freely on Scopus. The metric represents the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in a journal. If you’re interested in learning more about citation metrics and how we use them, check out this blog post.

Why is this important?

These results show the growing recognition for, and impact of, MDPI journals across disciplines. CiteScore rankings help researchers, institutions, and funders assess where high-quality work is being published. This growth improves our journals’ positioning in the publishing landscape and highlights our commitment to supporting open, trusted science.

Inside MDPI

Highlights from the MDPI USA Summit in Boston (5–6 June)

With several Summits already behind us, I think this is a good time to reflect on the purpose of these Summits.

Why do we organize MDPI Summits?

These one-and-a-half-day, invite-only gatherings are designed to improve our relationships with Chief Editors who lead our journals and are respected voices in their fields. The Summits aim to:

  1. Share MDPI’s values, achievements, editorial practices, and local market collaborations.
  2. Collect feedback on MDPI operations and journal practices.
  3. Empower Chief Editors to confidently represent MDPI beyond the Summit.

While Chief Editors know their journals well, these events help them better understand MDPI. We want them to be ambassadors for our brand. The aim is for them to walk away informed, engaged, and equipped to share positively about MDPI.

About the Boston Summit

Held on 5–6 June, our first USA Summit gathered over 25 Chief Editors to learn more about MDPI’s activities and collaborations in the USA. The program included presentations, Q&A, and a panel discussion.

Agenda Highlights:

Moderated by Summer Huggard (Operations Manager [Toronto], MDPI), the program featured:

  • MDPI Overview and USA Collaboration – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
  • AI in Publishing and MDPI's Actions – Feichi Lu (Junior Data Scientist, MDPI)
  • MDPI Editorial Process and Research Integrity – Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI)
  • Panel Discussion – Stefan, Feichi, Giulia, Claudia
  • Society Partnerships – Dr. Clàudia Aunós (Society Partnerships Senior Manager, MDPI)
  • Voice of the Customer and Closing Remarks – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)

MDPI & the USA: Facts and Figures

  • With over 216,000 publications, the USA is MDPI’s second-largest contributor after China.
  • In 2024, the USA ranked 2nd in total submissions and 2nd in total MDPI publications, with more than 28,200 publications.
  • As of 2020, the cumulative number of authors from the USA until April 2025 was 352,099.
  • As at April 2025, there are more than 12,035 active Editorial Board Members (EBMs) from the USA, with 55% having an H-index over 26.
  • Among them, 96 serve as Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and 218 as section-Editors-in-Chief (SEiC)
  • MDPI has more than 920 Institutional Open Access Program agreements worldwide, with over 130 from the USA.

A special thanks to our Toronto team, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this event run smoothly.

Coming Together for Science

Highlights from the MDPI France Summit in Paris (12–13 June)

We completed our first MDPI France Summit in Paris last week, and it was a special event. Attendees were engaged from beginning to end, remaining after hours to network and collaborate.

Why a France Summit?

We chose to host a France Summit in view of the recent challenges MDPI has faced with the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). What we took away from the event is that our authors and editors very much appreciate and enjoy working with us, but we need to address the concerns raised by CNRS, around Article Processing Charges (APCs) and the funding of gold open access publications.

“Our authors and editors very much enjoy working with us”

Some of the claims made in the June 2023 interview with Alain Schuhl, the Deputy CEO for Science at the CNRS, are simply not factual. For example, they state that MDPI’s “average APC charges per article are now around the same as Springer Nature’s.” Here is the relevant passage, reproduced verbatim:

This is not accurate.

A recent preprint analysing APC data from Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, PLOS, MDPI, and Frontiers (2019–2023) shows that MDPI’s average APCs remain significantly lower than those of Springer Nature and several other major publishers.

The MDPI Summits are part of our outreach and communication efforts to address misconceptions and clarify MDPI’s position as one of the most accessible and affordable major gold open access publishers in the world.

Summit Overview

Held on 12–13 June, the France Summit gathered over 20 Chief Editors to learn more about MDPI’s activities and collaborations in France. Many of these editors are influential in their institutions and professional societies. Several also have connections to CNRS, which makes this an important opportunity to clarify how we operate and build trust through open and transparent communication and hopefully turn our editors into informed advocates of MDPI.

Summit Feedback

The feedback has been very positive, with most attendees completing the post-event survey and all rating the experience as Excellent or Good. A few highlights:

  • “The whole thing was highly professional and, above all, provided quantified details that will allow us to better answer questions surrounding MDPI.”
  • “The summit was an opportunity to meet personally various people directly engaged in the organization and policies of MDPI, which made it possible to clarify some important points concerning publishing with MDPI.”
  • “Very well organized! A great opportunity to see all French MDPI partners and editors.”

Program Highlights:

Moderated by Miruna Adelina Nicolcioiu (Senior Conference Producer), the program featured:

  • MDPI Overview and France Collaboration – Stefan Tochev (CEO)
  • MDPI Editorial Process and Peer-Review Quality – Dr. Marta Colomer (Public Affairs Specialist)
  • Institutional Partnerships and Open Access Funding Models – Becky Castellon (Institutional Partnerships Manager)
  • AI in Publishing and MDPI's Actions – Daniele Raimondi (Data Scientist)
  • Publication Ethics: Global Trends – Diana Cristina Apodaritei (Research Integrity Specialist)
  • Closing Remarks – Stefan Tochev
  • Panel Discussion – Diana, Becky, Prof. Dr. Patrick Da Cost, and Stefan

MDPI & France: Facts and Figures

  • With over 51,000 publications, France is MDPI's tenth-largest contributor, and fifth largest among EU countries after Italy, Spain, Germany, and Poland.
  • As of 2020, the cumulative number of authors from France until April 2025 was 87,592.
  • As at April 2025, there are more than 2,800 active Editorial Board Members (EBMs) from France, with 59% having an H-index over 26.
  • Among them, 22 serve as Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and 61 as section-Editors-in-Chief (SEiC)
  • In 2024, IJMS, JCM, and Molecules were the top three MDPI journals in terms of submissions from French-affiliated authors.

Special thanks to our colleagues from Romanian offices for organizing this successful event.

Closing Thoughts

Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller Share the 2024 Tu Youyou Award

As we wrap up this month’s newsletter, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the winners of the 2024 Tu Youyou Award, presented by our journal Molecules. I am pleased to share that the 2024 Tu Youyou Award has been conferred upon Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller, in recognition of their significant contributions to natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

I invite you to read the editorial co-authored by the Tu Youyou Award Committee, which highlights the significance of the award and the remarkable impact of the recipients’ research.

A sincere thank-you to the 2024 Award Committee for their dedication and selection process, and congratulations once again to this year’s honourees. Your work exemplifies the kind of research MDPI is proud to support and amplify.

About the Tu Youyou Award
The 2024 Tu Youyou Award includes a total monetary prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs and a medal for each recipient. Established in 2016 to honour the pioneering spirit of Nobel laureate Tu Youyou, the Tu Youyou Award is an international award recognizing exceptional scholars dedicated to the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

For further information about the award and the winners, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website.

Stefan Tochev
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG

1 July 2025
Meet Us at the CRS 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition, 14–18 July 2025, Philadelphia, USA


Conference: The CRS 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition
Date: 14–18 July 2025
Location: Philadelphia, USA

This conference will be the 52nd annual conference of the Controlled Release Society. The annual CRS conference is the most important conference in the pharmaceutics field. The main topics of the conference include nanomedicine and nanoscale delivery, immuno delivery, oral delivery, skin and mucosal delivery, ocular delivery, bioengineering, gene delivery and gene editing, alternative methods to animal testing, long-acting drug delivery formulations, delivery to the nervous system, artificial intelligence, and predictive models in pharmaceutical technologies.

The following open access journals will be represented at the event:

If you plan to attend this conference, please contact us online. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at booth #202 and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://crs2025annualmeeting.eventscribe.net.

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