Press releases

• Gene-expression profiling of the effects of liver toxins
  
  
• Large-scale community protein annotation - WikiProteins
  
  
• Mapping of prostate cancer genes opens the door to new treatments
  
  
• Break it down: genome sequence of Podospora anserina reveals unsuspected ability to use complex carbon sources
  
  
• Supplements are not nutritious
  
  
• On the trail of rogue genetically modified pathogens
  
  
• Scientists unravel the genetic coding of the pea
  
  
• New gene prediction method capitalizes on multiple genomes
  
  
• Generating antibodies in high throughput
  
  
• Blind mice shed light on human sight loss
  
  
• Bar flies: fruit flies help unravel the genetics of alcohol sensitivity
  
  
• Decoding effects of toxins on embryo development
  
  
• Free shopping in a virtual bazaar of gene regulation data
  
  
• Umbilical cord gene expression signals premature babies' lung disease risk
  
  
• The molecular signature of loneliness
  
  
• Air pollution link to clogged arteries
  
  
• The sound of proteins
  
  
• 'Drunk' fruit flies could shed light on genetic basis of human alcohol abuse
  
  
• Predicting chemotherapy outcome
  
  
• New species from old data
  
  
• Fruit flies unlock Methuselah's secrets
  
  
• Comparisons of the new mouse genome sequence
  
  
• Making sense of the human genome: researchers characterize a crucial family of signaling proteins in the human genome
  
  
• Stanford researchers argue that there is indeed a biological base for race
  
  
• Genomic study breathes new life into asthma research
  
  
• Why does a worm need nearly as many genes as a man?
  
  
• Genomes on 'chips' boon to cancer research
  
  
• BioMed Central is pleased to announce the publication of Sydney Brenner's autobiography
  
  
• A genomic blueprint for a sense of smell
  
  
• Researchers to publish a third historic human genome article in Genome Biology this week
  
  
• Human Genome project leaves much of human variation unsampled
  
  
• Diagnosis on a chip - molecular profiling that could improve diagnosis and help design better drugs
  
  
• Gene "shaving" could help doctors predict the efficacy of cancer treatments
  
  
• Whither genomics?
  
  
• Current Science Group declares support for 'PubMed Central' historic development
  
  
• Science publishing - beginning of a revolution?
  
  

Current Science Group declares support for 'PubMed Central' historic development   01 Sep 1999

The National Institutes of Health announcement (August 31) that it is to create 'PubMed Central' - an NIH-operated repository for the electronic distribution of original life sciences research reports - drew an immediate and full endorsement today (September 1) from the Current Science Group of scientific publishers. The Chairman, Vitek Tracz, described the move as "a historic development that will democratise a process now almost exclusively the preserve of commercial publishers and learned societies, and bring benefits to scientists, physicians and the patient."

"We call on scientists to seize this opportunity to use their talents and ingenuity to exert a direct influence on the way research is published, and on our publishing colleagues to join us in our commitment to deposit within PubMed Central all the primary research we publish, in full and without any delay", he added.

At the same time, Mr Tracz reiterated the Group's pledge (made in April 1999) to offer free access to all primary research published by any Current Science Group company, to individuals through the web.

"I believe the ability to offer free access to the results of primary research, and to make them available rapidly and easily in a central repository (such as PubMed Central), will bring profound changes in the way science is practised," he added. "By simplifying the process of depositing original research findings, and assuring these primary papers have both visibility and permanence, the repository will remove many of the current barriers to starting a new journal. Small groups of scientists will be able to start their own 'journals' to reflect their special needs and interests. Providing the option for depositing non-peer-reviewed 'preprints' will prove an important addition. Combined with the ability to search seamlessly through all the deposited data these developments will create a completely new environment for scientific information exchange."

Commenting on the changing role for publishers, he said: "As commercial scientific publishers, we welcome and support this initiative enthusiastically. We see it as our central function to provide to the biological and medical communities services that are genuinely needed, in a format that is relevant and practical, and at a cost that bears a sensible relationship to our efforts.

"The Current Science Group has already begun a number of new initiatives, all of which will place original research material within PubMed Central in full and without delay:

• Current Science Ltd is developing a new group of journals on multi-disciplinary research in areas defined by clinical medicine. These include Breast Cancer Research (http://breast-cancer-research.com/), Arthritis Research (http://arthritis-research.com/), Critical Care Forum (http://ccforum.com/), and others still being planned. In addition, Current Science has developed the Current Controlled Trials site (http://www.controlled-trials.com/) which will include a range of publications dealing with issues relating to clinical trials, and providing an efficient and rapid way to publish clinical trial results.
• New Science Press is starting Genome Biology , amajor new publication on developments throughout biology in the post-genomic world.

"The Current Science Group is in the advanced planning stages of a series of major innovations to publish original research findings in all areas of life sciences and clinical medicine, in close collaboration with the PubMed Central repository. Adding value to the publication of original research findings, and central to all the Group's activities, is the provision of reviews, commentaries and analysis as well as selecting the most significant developments and alerting our readers to them." Looking ahead, he concluded: "We believe these are the right priorities for developing a successful publishing enterprise for the future."

For further information about this initiative, please contact initiative@cursci.co.uk