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Establishing a collaboration with the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders
Molecular Genetics and Metabolism 76 (2002) 251 www.academicpress.com
Editorial
Establishing a collaboration with the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders I am extremely pleased to announce that our journal, Molecular Genetics and Metabolism (MGM), will collaborate with the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD) to enhance the publication of research on the screening, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of biochemical genetic diseases. We inaugurate our collaboration with the publication of the SIMD Donough O’Brien Presidential Address entitled ‘The Rise and Fall and (Urgently Needed) Rebirth of Metabolic Medicine,’ and delivered by the SIMD President Antonio Velazquez, M.D., Ph.D., on March 5, 2002 [1]. Vel azquez notes the origin of biochemical genetics in the insightful description of the first inborn error of metabolism by Garrod 100 years ago [2]. Vel azquez describes the excitement of the discipline and also the challenges that face it. He gives us his unique view of the field of inherited metabolic disease from the vantage of a Mexican born and reared physician-scientist who moved freely between his home country and the USA in his life and his training. Vel azquez was able to extrapolate from his knowledge of rare genetic metabolic diseases to develop, test and validate hypotheses regarding the biochemical pathogenesis of an unfortunately all-too-common disorder of the developing world, infant malnutrition. His work demonstrates the applicability of the tools developed for rare disorders to the improved understanding and treatment of common complex diseases. Vel azquez’s Presidential Address is a fitting opportunity to inaugurate this collaboration between MGM and SIMD, not only because of its content, but also for its context. Known as the Donough O’Brien Presidential Address, this annual lecture honors the first SIMD president. Our collaboration, therefore, also brings together contextually two of my mentors: Dr. Samuel P. Bessman, Founding Editor of the journal Biochemical Medicine that is now MGM, and the individual who gave me the opportunity to pursue research from high
school through completion of my M.D./Ph.D. studies; and Dr. Donough O’Brien, who directed my fellowship training in pediatric metabolism and gave me the opportunity to work with him to organize the inaugural SIMD program at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in 1978. There have been close, though more informal, ties between MGM and SIMD over the years. Not only was I involved in SIMD from its beginnings, but also we count on our editorial board 16 out of 40 members, or approximately 40%. MGM will become a more formal voice for SIMD. We will publish the Donough O’Brien Presidential Addresses and news from SIMD. In this role we will continue to provide a venue for publication of outstanding and exciting investigations into the inborn errors of metabolism. As we have examined our investigator constituencies, we serve principally the biochemical genetics, molecular genetics and molecular endocrinology communities. We will continue to serve all of these areas, and will embrace other communities of investigators as they explore their disciplines through molecular genetic and metabolic research. As Dr. Velazquez has pointed out to us all, many areas of medicine will be encompassed within Metabolic Medicine. It is only for us to begin these broader explorations! References [1] A. Velazquez, The rise and fall and (urgently needed) rebirth of metabolic medicine. Molec. Genet. Metab, this issue, 2002. [2] A.E. Garrod, The incidence of alkaptonuria: a study in chemical individuality, Lancet (2) (1902) 1616.
1096-7192/02/$ - see front matter Ó 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. PII: S 1 0 9 6 - 7 1 9 2 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 1 1 6 - 6
Edward R.B. McCabe Editor-in-Chief
Editorial
Establishing a collaboration with the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders I am extremely pleased to announce that our journal, Molecular Genetics and Metabolism (MGM), will collaborate with the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD) to enhance the publication of research on the screening, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of biochemical genetic diseases. We inaugurate our collaboration with the publication of the SIMD Donough O’Brien Presidential Address entitled ‘The Rise and Fall and (Urgently Needed) Rebirth of Metabolic Medicine,’ and delivered by the SIMD President Antonio Velazquez, M.D., Ph.D., on March 5, 2002 [1]. Vel azquez notes the origin of biochemical genetics in the insightful description of the first inborn error of metabolism by Garrod 100 years ago [2]. Vel azquez describes the excitement of the discipline and also the challenges that face it. He gives us his unique view of the field of inherited metabolic disease from the vantage of a Mexican born and reared physician-scientist who moved freely between his home country and the USA in his life and his training. Vel azquez was able to extrapolate from his knowledge of rare genetic metabolic diseases to develop, test and validate hypotheses regarding the biochemical pathogenesis of an unfortunately all-too-common disorder of the developing world, infant malnutrition. His work demonstrates the applicability of the tools developed for rare disorders to the improved understanding and treatment of common complex diseases. Vel azquez’s Presidential Address is a fitting opportunity to inaugurate this collaboration between MGM and SIMD, not only because of its content, but also for its context. Known as the Donough O’Brien Presidential Address, this annual lecture honors the first SIMD president. Our collaboration, therefore, also brings together contextually two of my mentors: Dr. Samuel P. Bessman, Founding Editor of the journal Biochemical Medicine that is now MGM, and the individual who gave me the opportunity to pursue research from high
school through completion of my M.D./Ph.D. studies; and Dr. Donough O’Brien, who directed my fellowship training in pediatric metabolism and gave me the opportunity to work with him to organize the inaugural SIMD program at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in 1978. There have been close, though more informal, ties between MGM and SIMD over the years. Not only was I involved in SIMD from its beginnings, but also we count on our editorial board 16 out of 40 members, or approximately 40%. MGM will become a more formal voice for SIMD. We will publish the Donough O’Brien Presidential Addresses and news from SIMD. In this role we will continue to provide a venue for publication of outstanding and exciting investigations into the inborn errors of metabolism. As we have examined our investigator constituencies, we serve principally the biochemical genetics, molecular genetics and molecular endocrinology communities. We will continue to serve all of these areas, and will embrace other communities of investigators as they explore their disciplines through molecular genetic and metabolic research. As Dr. Velazquez has pointed out to us all, many areas of medicine will be encompassed within Metabolic Medicine. It is only for us to begin these broader explorations! References [1] A. Velazquez, The rise and fall and (urgently needed) rebirth of metabolic medicine. Molec. Genet. Metab, this issue, 2002. [2] A.E. Garrod, The incidence of alkaptonuria: a study in chemical individuality, Lancet (2) (1902) 1616.
1096-7192/02/$ - see front matter Ó 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. PII: S 1 0 9 6 - 7 1 9 2 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 1 1 6 - 6
Edward R.B. McCabe Editor-in-Chief