Biomedical, translational, and clinical scientists have always been breaking down disciplinary divides to propel our understanding of complex human (patho-)physiology. This has made molecular medicine a melting pot of diverse disciplines defined by the innovation and creativity resulting from it. Across the spectrum of specialties, basic and clinical research drive each other forward. Basic science reveals insights in cellular and molecular mechanisms by studying disease models, providing the foundation for targeted treatment. At the same time, clinical data reveal conceptually new biological insights and starting points for bench research. Together, they drive therapeutic development. Decades ago, as the number of interdisciplinary studies grew, a journal that could synthesize the latest insights in a concise and accessible manner, and foster the exchange of information between basic and clinical researchers was needed. Launched 25 years ago as Molecular Medicine Today, and after its incorporation into the Trends family in 2001, Trends in Molecular Medicine (TMM) inspires to collaborate across basic and clinical disciplines and apply concepts from other fields to accelerate fundamental knowledge, and advance the detection, prevention, and treatment of human diseases.
Anniversaries are a time for celebrating accomplishments and, since 1995, the field of molecular medicine, as well as the journal itself, has continued to make great strides. Lately, many fields have matured from foundational to translational and even clinical science, fulfilling the aspiration to bridge bench and bedside. At the same time, technology has evolved substantially, enabling analysis of patient samples in a way that was previously only feasible with non-human disease models. The loop of bedside-to-bench and bench-to-bedside is closing for many diseases, enabling fast translation of discovery to research to therapy. More than ever, basic and clinical scientists are joining efforts and resources to better comprehend human pathologies, endeavoring to rapidly treat them. Consider the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic: in an impressive collaborative effort, scientists and physicians are working together to understand the epidemiology and pathology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), studying how the virus infects and hijacks host cells, and identifying opportunities for therapeutic and preventive measures. Indeed, building on the backbone of research tools and therapeutic strategies established by the scientific community, molecular medicine progresses at an incredible speed. Accordingly, numerous advances in our knowledge of the molecular basis of disease directly impact medical decisions today.
However, each breakthrough triggers new questions. For one disease, the breakthrough is obvious with incredible success in treatment, but the bottleneck comprises improving therapeutic efficiency or widening the spectrum of patients who can benefit from a given treatment. For other diseases, the latest breakthrough is an improved understanding of disease mechanisms, while the bottleneck is the current lack of tools for developing a cure. Then, in some cases, we have only come so far as to recognize a condition as a disease or to appreciate the difference between physiology and pathology, but the bottleneck presents itself at a fundamental biological level of understanding, needed to progress on the path to develop therapeutics.
TMM aims to publish forward-looking opinions and reviews to help push through these bottlenecks. For once, we turn around and look back: In honor of the anniversary of the journal, we reflect on exciting breakthroughs in molecular medicine along with concurrent bottlenecks that basic, translational, and clinical research need to solve together in the coming decade. In a series of short articles, thought leaders highlight the great strides that have been made in bridging preclinical and clinical research.
We start the series in this issue with a snapshot from George Tsokos and Cox Terhorst showcasing the breakthroughs and bottlenecks being faced in the modulation of T cell subsets in disease treatments. Empowering the ability of cytotoxic T cells to kill tumor cells, or reframing certain immune checkpoint inhibitory receptors to empower CD8+ T cell-mediated antitumor activity has revolutionized cancer treatment. In addition, while >1000 trials are underway to expand immune manipulation-based protocols to treat various cancers, T lymphocyte-based biologics might also ‘cash their value’ to benefit patients with certain autoimmune disorders or pathogenic infections. You will find more highlights of the exciting progress in molecular medicine in the following issues throughout this and the upcoming year.
We also want to celebrate some of the achievements of the journal. TMM has done more than just publish exciting and influential reviews and opinions. For example, TMM has shown an increasing interest in responding to the needs of clinician-scientists with the ‘Clinician’s Corner’ element embedded within articles where the topic of the review is distilled, focusing on information for immediate clinical practice. More recently, we established formal guidelines for discussing and citing clinical trials to enable transparent reporting of clinical research. We also updated the scope of the journal to reflect the current topics of interest in this evolving field. Besides this, TMM still has a lot in store going forward! At TMM, we acknowledge that many therapeutic strategies transcend the individual disease. To this end, we will soon incorporate a new graphical article type titled ‘Strategy of the Month’, which summarizes the main features of a new therapeutic strategy or new aspects of an established therapy in a visual way.
The field of molecular medicine continues to expand rapidly, not only in the breadth of the underlying science and the technologies used to study it, but also in the number of scientists who comprise the field. TMM is proud to welcome two new journals at Cell Press: Cell Reports Medicine and Med, publishing original research articles across the clinical and translational research continuum. Together, we want to strengthen this community, connect scientists and their ideas to each other, and shape how we think about human health and medicine.
I would like to end this editorial with a sincere thank you to the molecular medicine community: thank you to the authors, reviewers, and Advisory Board members whose efforts have ensured that TMM publishes high-quality and impactful articles, as well as past and present editors and production staff, who have kept the journal running smoothly for so many years, and to you, the readers, for your continued support. As a journal, we are proud to serve this heterogenous, ever-evolving community and of the part we have in driving the future of medicine in new directions. To meet your needs and interests, it only makes sense that the direction TMM takes in the coming years also echoes your values and voices. So, contact us at tmm@cell.com. We want to hear from you!