Biomarker Insights Editor-in-Chief Announcement

Abstract

Aims and Scope:

This editorial announces the new Biomarker Insights Editor-in-Chief. The journal will continue to publish high-quality original reports and review articles in all areas of biomarker research, and will welcome submissions that focus on improving the quality of the biomarker research literature.

I am grateful for this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Editor-in-Chief of Biomarker Insights. In doing so, I would also like to express my gratitude to the journal’s previous Editor-in-Chief Dr Karen Pulford, who has served Biomarker Insights since 2014, when the journal was published by Libertas Academica. Dr Pulford has provided outstanding leadership over this time, having edited 5 volumes of the journal, including 5 Special Collections on topics including ‘Gene and Protein Expression Profiling in Disease’ and ‘Stem Cell Biology’.

When I was first approached to serve as Editor-in-Chief, I reflected on the types of journals that publish biomarker research and the specific contributions that these journals make to the research literature. In addition to Biomarker Insights, there are other dedicated biomarker research journals, as well as clinical, discipline-specific, and technical journals that publish biomarker research studies and review articles. The many individual journals that are willing to publish biomarker studies reflect the high and ongoing level of international interest in all aspects of biomarker discovery, validation, and translation.

At the same time, the presence of many scientific journals that are willing to publish on a particular topic does not guarantee the quality of reported research. Indeed, it is not the quantity but rather the quality of biomarker studies that has been repeatedly questioned in the literature. Biomarkers can show very poor rates of reproducibility between individual studies, translating to disappointingly low numbers of biomarkers that have been recently approved for clinical use. Furthermore, as biomarker development occurs along what can be considered as a linear pipeline, poor quality and incorrect pre-clinical research can compromise the translation of biomarker candidates to clinical application. For example, unreliable reports of new candidate biomarkers can lead to such candidates being incorrectly prioritized for assay development and patient cohort analyses. The many factors contributing to low rates of biomarker reproducibility and translation are therefore collectively impeding the capacity of biomarker research to improve patient care and are producing both concerning and largely preventable levels of waste within the biomarker research ecosystem.

To improve the translation of candidate biomarkers to the clinic, it is clear that biomarker journals must not only commit to publishing reports of the highest scientific quality but must also actively support the many researchers who are committed to improving biomarker research quality. Biomarker Insights will therefore continue to publish high-quality original reports and review articles in all areas of biomarker research. The journal will also welcome the submission of manuscripts that aim to improve the conduct, reporting, and overall quality of biomarker research, including manuscripts that directly examine causes of biomarker failure and research waste. Under Dr Pulford’s leadership, the journal has already focussed on the validity of reagents used in biomarker research, with a focus on monoclonal antibodies. As such, our renewed focus on biomarker research quality will continue and extend the journal’s established direction. We will therefore welcome proposals for special issues in all areas of biomarker research and particularly on topics that address biomarker research quality.

I would like to personally thank Dr Pulford for providing the opportunity to serve as the new Editor-in-Chief of Biomarker Insights and Ms Neisha Jobanputra from SAGE Publishing for her ongoing advice and support. I look forward to close and productive interactions with the members of the journal’s international Editorial Board. As a team, we can work together to maximize the quality of published biomarker research, to the benefit of researchers and clinicians, the funding agencies and institutions that support biomarker research, and the many patients who rely on biomarkers for improved health and quality of life.

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer A. ByrneThe University of Sydney, Australia