Abstract
Most toxicologic pathologists work in an environment that is heavily influenced (directly or indirectly) by regulatory agencies, and in turn, the work of toxicologic pathologists forms a significant part of the material that is reviewed by those agencies, whether they regulate food, environmental chemicals, or pharmaceuticals. However, while regulatory issues of one kind or another (and this is a wide spectrum of topics) are frequently of pivotal importance to toxicological pathologists in their daily work, they are seldom subjects for traditional scientific articles. Regulatory Forum provides a medium for discussion and debate of such topics within the broader context of toxicologic pathology. The format and subject matter of Regulatory Forum articles vary enormously, but the common theme is that they are short opinion pieces that express a point of view on an issue of current debate that is broadly related to the regulatory environment. Recent topics have included the utility of perfusion fixation and fluorojade staining in general toxicology studies, the use of stereology in toxicology, discussion of new regulatory guidance, and risk management of phospholipidosis.
To date, the articles that have appeared in Regulatory Forum have been invited by the Society of Toxicologic Pathology Scientific and Regulatory Policy Committee or the Regulatory Forum Committee, but the committee is actively seeking submissions on new topics or (especially) articles that offer an alternative viewpoint to any previously published Regulatory Forum articles. Submissions from regulators or other customers of toxicologic pathologists are also particularly welcome. Articles can be submitted to the journal online (check the “Regulatory Forum” box when submitting). Submissions are informally reviewed by the committee to select articles for publication, but because they are opinion pieces, if accepted, review comments are advisory only. All articles represent the personal opinion of the author(s) (not an institution or employer) and are labeled as such. This is a great opportunity to air your views about any regulatory topic and seek out the opinions of your colleagues!