Announcements
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Field of Microbiome and Cancer
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Field of Breast Cancer Survivorship
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Field of Lung Cancer Chemotherapy
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Field of NK Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Section “Transplant Oncology”
13 November 2024
Cancers | Notable Papers in the Field of Ferroptosis in Cancer
5 November 2024
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #17 - OA Week, Basel Open Day, Beijing Graphene Forum
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
Open Access Week: Forging the Future of Open Access through Global Reach and Collaboration
From 21 to 27 October, we celebrated International Open Access Week (OAW), highlighting the importance of making research accessible to everyone. This campaign reinforced our commitment to advancing open access (OA) and showcased how we are helping research communities worldwide adopt OA as their standard.
“OA publishing is now a cornerstone of global research”
Throughout the week, we featured MDPI’s efforts to support quality open research through blog posts on topics such as how Research Integrity Promotes OA Practices, our Preprints.org platform, and supporting societies with different OA models. These initiatives capture our commitment to making research more inclusive and accessible to all.
OA publishing is now a cornerstone of global research, with more researchers choosing OA over traditional paywalled models, and embracing new, community-driven models.
Benefits of Open Access and Open Research
- Accelerated Discoveries: OA speeds up scientific progress by allowing immediate access to findings, enabling researchers to build on each other’s work faster.
- Community-Led Innovation: Open research empowers communities to manage their own platforms, creating collaboration and shared knowledge.
- Increased Visibility: OA broadens the reach of your research, leading to greater recognition, collaboration, and impact.
- Cross-Disciplinary Connections: By removing financial and geographical barriers, OA unites diverse fields, sparking innovation across disciplines.
MDPI Singapore Celebrates Open Access Week
MDPI Singapore also hosted its first-ever OAW event at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, bringing together academics, researchers, and students to discuss the future of open scholarship. Conversations focused on the potential of new publishing models, alternative funding strategies, and the importance of communicating research to wider audiences.
As OA evolves, MDPI remains a committed partner in advancing open science and creating a transparent, inclusive research environment. For a full recap of the week’s highlights and resources, visit our campaign page.
Impactful Research
MDPI Connection to Nobel-Winning Protein Research
David Baker, an American biochemist, and Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, two scientists from Google DeepMind, have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking advancements in better understanding the structure of proteins, the molecular engines of life’s processes.
One half of the prize was awarded to Professor David Baker from the University of Washington for his development of revolutionary protein design software enabling the creation of novel proteins for vaccines, nanomaterials, and sensors. Prof. Baker co-authored a 2016 paper in MDPI’s Toxins journal on protein-based therapeutics.
Meanwhile, DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper received recognition for AlphaFold, the AI model that predicts protein structures from amino acid sequences, fulfilling a long-held scientific dream.
“We congratulate this year’s Nobel laureates for their groundbreaking contributions to the study of life”
Nobel Prize Laureates Entrust MDPI with Their Research
As at October 2024, 45 Nobel laureates had contributed to more than 115 articles across
35 MDPI journals. The privilege of hosting the research of such contributors, who significantly influence the open access movement, resonates deeply with our editorial teams.
We are proud to list the names of Pierre Agostini, Hiroshi Amano, Werner Arber, Aaron Ciechanover, Robert H. Grubbs, Oliver Hart, Gerard ‘t Hooft, Michael Houghton, Harald zur Hausen, Katalin Karikó, Jean-Marie Lehn, Gérard Mourou, Ferid Murad, Shuji Nakamura, William Nordhaus, Kostya S. Novoselov, Giorgio Parisi, Charles M. Rice, Alvin E. Roth, Donna Strickland, K. Barry Sharpless, George F. Smoot, Anne L’Huillier, Drew Weissman, Kurt Wüthrich, Ada Yonath, Tomas Lindahl, Thomas C. Südhof, Stanley B. Prusiner, Roger Kornberg, Robert F. Engle, Richard J. Roberts, Ōmura Satoshi, Kenneth J. Arrow, John B. Goodenough, Jennifer Doudna, Hamilton Othanel Smith, Eric R. Kandel, Carlo Rubbia, Bernard Feringa, Barry J. Marshall, Anthony J. Leggett, Andrew Victor Schally, and David Baker.
Notable MRNA Published in Cells
On 7 October 2024, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function. Some interesting papers about microRNA research are published in the MDPI journal Cells. I invite you browse through the notable papers related to microRNA research in Cells.
Inside MDPI
Basel Open Day
On 21 October, we held the Basel Open Day at our headquarters, welcoming a group of journal Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for a full-day workshop. The event featured presentations and discussions on MDPI’s latest editorial updates, data integrity policies, society collaborations, and local market insights.
The following MDPI journals were represented during the visit: Physics, Journal of Personalized Medicine (JPM), Sci, Remote Sensing, Animals, Cells, Buildings, Histories, Sensors, and International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH).
This was a great opportunity to showcase our new office space while gathering feedback from leading journal stakeholders. To get everyone on the same page, we took 60 minutes for round-table introductions, which helped set a collaborative tone and ground us in MDPI’s mission of disseminating open science.
“This was a great opportunity to gather feedback from leading journal stakeholders”
The general feedback from the day highlighted positive developments around our editorial and ethics policies, as well as areas for improvement, including flexibility regarding reviewer deadlines. There was a genuine appreciation and push for our ongoing efforts to share more about MDPI, including company updates and promoting high-quality research through our blog, announcements, and social media channels, which we have been growing and expanding.
Our Basel Open Day was a positive experience, bringing together key journal stakeholders and gathering insights to guide MDPI’s continued engagement with the academic community. We look forward to hosting future events of this kind and welcoming more scholars to our headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Coming Together for Science
ncRNA 2024 Conference in Basel
I am pleased to share that we held Non-coding RNA World 2024: Exploring Mechanisms, Designing Medicines (ICM 2024) in Basel, Switzerland this past 7–9 October.
The three-day event attracted just over 100 attendees, including two Chairs, 10 invited speakers and two keynotes from Prof. Mauro Giacca and Prof. Ling-Ling Chen. Of the presentations on site, there were 35 posters and 44 oral presentations.
The overall feedback was positive, with people enjoying the intimate event and the unique activities offered, including a guided tour around Basel’s Old Town (a must-see for anyone visiting the city) and a memorable conference dinner.
It was cool to see the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced during the conference days. This was exciting for attendees, as the winners discovered a new class of RNA molecules (miRNAs). As one invited speaker put it, “It's exciting to be among fellows when something that important for the field is announced.”
“It's exciting to be among fellows when something that important for the field is announced”
Every attendee receives a conference survey, and I’m always pleased to see a high percentage of ‘Very Satisfied’ responses when asked about ‘treatment from conference personnel’. Kudos to our conference team for meeting our attendees’ needs. These events are a great opportunity for us to reach new audiences, as 92% of the respondents had never been to an MDPI conference, so I am thrilled to see us connecting with a new demographic of your researchers in the RNA field.
A special thank-you to our partnering societies The Epigenetics Society, The French Society of Genetics, LS2 / USGEB (Union of Swiss Societies for Experimental Biology), and The RNA Biology Group, as well as to our sponsors New England Biolabs and Arraystar for their support of the ncRNA 2024 conference. I am also pleased to report that we presented two awards, including the Best Presentation Award and two Best Poster Award, recognizing the contributions of our participants.
Upcoming In-Person Event
27–29 November 2024
Pharmaceuticals 2024 – Recent Advances in Pharmaceutical Sciences Towards a Healthy Life
Location: Barcelona, Spain
The discovery of new molecules, their properties, and actions to enhance human health and quality of life.
Find more upcoming MDPI events here.
Closing Thoughts
Beijing Graphene Forum 2024
I am pleased to share that we had a successful time at the Beijing Graphene Forum 2024, which drew around 1,000 attendees, including Konstantin Novoselov (2015 Nobel Prize in Physics) and other high-profile scholars in materials science and chemistry. It was a great opportunity to present MDPI on the big stage, with university presidents from institutions such as Peking University also in attendance.
I had the honour of awarding Prof. Zhongfan Liu, Chairman of the Chemical Science Committee, with a medal and presenting certificates to the members of the Chemical Science Committee; this is an important initiative to help expand MDPI’s journals and influence in China. These are highly respected scholars, and we enjoyed connecting with them over lunch as well.
“This is an important initiative to help expand MDPI’s journals and influence in China”
I also had the chance to speak about MDPI and open access, giving a five-minute speech during the opening ceremony and a 20-minute presentation at the close. MDPI hosted a sub-forum where both academic scholars and MDPI members shared insights, and we engaged with attendees at our MDPI booth.
This was a great opportunity to spotlight MDPI as the main publishing partner for the event, and I was proud to represent us on stage. We also met with scholars to discuss topics such as their publishing needs and institutional policies, open access, impact journals, and IOAP.
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
31 October 2024
Dr. Amancio Carnero Appointed Associate Editor of Cancers
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Amancio Carnero has been appointed Associate Editor of Cancers (ISSN: 2072-6694). With an extensive background in scientific research and publishing, he will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this role.
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Name: Dr. Amancio Carnero |
After graduating in biology from the Universidad de Granada (Spain), Dr. Amancio Carnero began his scientific career in the Genetics Department at the same University where he spent two years as an undergraduate student. He then moved to the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, CSIC, Madrid, and carried out his Ph.D. studies at the Department of Molecular Biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Dr. Amancio Carnero worked on the signal transduction mechanisms induced by Ras oncogenes. Upon completing his Ph.D. in 1994, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, from where he moved in January 1996 to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA. Then, Dr. Carnero returned to Europe as a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London (UCL), UK, where he worked to improve methods for identifying new molecular targets based on functional screenings (either by gain- or loss-of-function). His research interests focused on the cell cycle, cellular senescense, and cellular immortalization. He then spent another two years in London at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research (UCL) as a Senior Lecturer before returning to Spain in 2001 to assume his current position as Head of the CNIO’s Assay Development Section in the Experimental Therapeutics Programme. For 9 years, he worked at the CNIO developing the preclinical platform to identify new antitumor therapies. At the end of 2009, Amancio moved to the Institut of Biomedicine of Seville, where he followed his work in the identification and characterization of genes with therapeutic relevance in cancer, establishing causality during tumor initiation and progression, as well as the validation of new therapeutic targets.
The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Amancio Carnero, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:
1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role of its Associate Editor?MDPI is a very appealing scientific universe, where there is much more than just publications. It is very important to contribute to many areas of scientific development, not just to focus on publishing scientific works. As Associate Editor, I will have the opportunity to shape discussions, foster innovation, and support the advancement of new therapeutic approaches. My expertise could be valuable in driving forward our understanding of this complex disease and helping to consolidate emerging areas of research.
2. What is your plan and vision for the journal?My vision for the journal is clear. Focusing on consolidating the quality of existing work while actively advancing new research lines in cancer is a crucial approach. Ensuring that the journal reflects the latest developments in the field will keep it relevant and valuable to the scientific community. In addition to maintaining high standards, it might also be beneficial to foster collaborations with researchers and institutions to promote innovative studies. Engaging with the community through Special Issues or themed collections could also highlight emerging trends and encourage interdisciplinary research.
3. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?There are some exciting and timely research topics that are likely to gain attention in the coming years. Tumor evolution and biomarkers are crucial for improving personalized medicine, while the use of AI in analyzing large datasets can significantly enhance our understanding of cancer dynamics. Exploring the interactions between the tumor microenvironment and external factors like aging and infections will likely yield important insights into treatment responses. Emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches can also foster innovative research that bridges gaps between different fields.
4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?Open access is essential for promoting transparency and collaboration in scientific research. By making findings readily available, researchers can build on each other’s work more effectively, accelerating discovery and innovation. It also democratizes knowledge, allowing scientists and interested individuals from various backgrounds to access valuable information without barriers. Supporting open access can enhance the journal’s reach and impact, fostering a more inclusive scientific community.
5. In your opinion, what can authors expect when they submit to Cancers?Authors can expect a supportive and rigorous submission process when submitting to Cancers. A fair review process is crucial for ensuring that all submissions are evaluated based on their scientific merit, which fosters trust and integrity in the journal. A quick turnaround time for publication is also increasingly important in the fast-paced field of cancer research, as the timely dissemination of findings can impact ongoing studies and clinical practices. Providing constructive feedback from reviewers and editors can significantly enhance the quality of manuscripts, helping authors refine their work before publication. In addition to these expectations, it might be beneficial to create a clear and transparent communication channel throughout the review process, ensuring that authors feel informed and supported.
We warmly welcome our new Associate Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Amancio Carnero, and wish the journal every success in the future.
28 October 2024
Meet Us at Pharmacology 2024, 10–12 December 2024, Harrogate, UK
Conference: Pharmacology 2024
Date: 10–12 December 2024
Location: Harrogate, UK
MDPI will be attending Pharmacology 2024 as an exhibitor. We welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.
The British Pharmacological Society is a charity and global membership community whose mission is to promote and advance the whole spectrum of pharmacology. It leads the way in pharmacology research and application around the world, with around 4,000 members from more than 60 countries. Each year, the British Pharmacological Society hosts its annual Pharmacology conference, gathering individuals from academia, healthcare, industry, and the regulatory sector to share and celebrate the latest research and developments in this field and other related areas. This conference is a great opportunity for those studying and working in this field to attend lectures from experts and emerging researchers, network, socialize, and showcase their own work.
If you are planning to attend this 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 about the conference, please visit https://www.miceconciergeme.com/pharmacology-2024.
The following MDPI journals will be represented:
- Pharmaceuticals;
- Pharmacoepidemiology;
- Pharmacy;
- Antioxidants;
- Neurology International;
- Future Pharmacology;
- BioTech;
- Cancers;
- Sci. Pharm.;
- Sclerosis;
- Medicines;
- JPM;
- DDC.
The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN: 1424-8247), a peer-reviewed open access journal on medicinal chemistry and related drug sciences, published monthly online by MDPI. With an Impact Factor of 4.3 and a CiteScore of 6.1, the journal is covered in Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubMed, PMC, Embase, CAPlus/SciFinder, and other databases. The journal has published more than 6000 papers from more than 37,000 authors. More than 10,000 reviewers have reviewed the journal at least once. We value the contributions made by our editors, authors, and reviewers.
23 October 2024
Welcoming New Editorial Board Members of Cancers
