Abstract
Cell Transplantation has long been recognized as a cornerstone journal in the field of regenerative medicine, thanks to the foresight of Dr. Paul R. Sanberg and Dr. Camillo Ricordi who laid the groundwork 32 years ago. As we begin a new chapter, we pay tribute to the significant contributions of our outgoing Co-Editors-in-Chief, Paul R. Sanberg and Shinn-Zong Lin, whose guidance has steered the journal to an excellent height of science. We express our gratitude for their unwavering dedication and are pleased to announce that they will continue to contribute as Emeritus Co-Editors-in-Chief, their experience and insights remaining invaluable as we progress.
Reflecting on Our Past to Forge Ahead
Recently, our journal has faced a challenging period with the retraction of a number of articles published between 2019 to 2022. The action was taken to uphold the integrity of scientific research and to maintain the trust of our readership. Although a difficult decision, it was made in the best interest of the scientific community to ensure that our publications are not only groundbreaking but also reliable and scientifically sound.
The retraction serves as a reminder of the critical importance of rigorous peer review and the collective responsibility to uphold research integrity. It highlights the consequences of failing to meet these standards and emphasizes the necessity for continuous vigilance in our quest for scientific truth.
Advancing into a New Era of Scientific Excellence
Cell transplantation has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for a diverse range of diseases, from neurodegenerative disorders to autoimmune conditions. The field is rapidly evolving, with advancements in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and immunology driving its progress. It is essential that our journal reflects these developments and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research.
Looking ahead, starting from 2025, Cell Transplantation will adopt even more stringent scientific standards. This decision follows careful consideration and is in response to the evolving landscape of cell transplantation research. Our goal is to ensure that the journal remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and continues to be a trusted source of high-quality, cutting-edge research on cell transplantation and its applications.
To achieve our objectives, Cell Transplantation will focus more on publishing mechanistic studies or functional analyses of cell transplantation and its applications, rather than studies where cell transplantation is merely a method used in the experimental process. The topics we consider for publication, reflecting the broad scope of Cell Transplantation, encompass both basic and clinical research, as well as ethical and social considerations, and may include, but are not limited as follows:
Fabry disease is an X-linked genetic disorder with the symptoms, including cardiomyopathy, renal failure, and stroke, that is caused by a deficiency of α-galactosidase A (GLA). The researchers from Japan developed the transplantation of Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) secreting modified α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase by genome editing could supply the GLA activity in vivo (8).
Of note, the senior editorial board member of Cell Transplantation, Prof. Walter C. Low, and his colleagues discussed the ethics concerns during chimera formation (19) and provided a comprehensive analysis of the legal and scientific barriers to conducting research on human-animal chimera research for the generation of transplantable human organs (20).
Strengthening Peer Review and Editorial Processes
In addition to improving scientific standards, we will enhance our peer review process to ensure that only the most rigorous and impactful studies are published. This includes implementing additional checks for data integrity, auditing unusual activities during submission and peer review processes, and engaging qualified reviewers with the appropriate expertise.
We are committed to transparency in our editorial processes and will provide authors with clear guidelines on what is expected from a manuscript submitted to Cell Transplantation. This includes adherence to ethical guidelines, such as those set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (22), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (23), and and the Equator network (24), as well as providing detailed feedback to authors to facilitate the improvement of their work.
Conclusions
Cell Transplantation is dedicated to advancing the field of cell transplantation with research integrity and scientific rigor. We are grateful for the contributions of our past Editors-in-Chief and look forward to the continued support of the scientific community. We invite researchers to submit their groundbreaking work to our journal and are committed to providing a platform for the dissemination of high-quality research that can foster interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together researchers from various fields and ultimately contribute to the understanding and advancement of cell transplantation therapies.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Paul R. Sanberg, Shinn-Zong Lin, and Gordon Mallarkey (Sage Publishing Ltd, London, UK) for their critical comments and suggested improvements of the draft manuscript.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The author is the Editor of CLL and employee of SAGE Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.