Laura L. Kiessling to Lead Major New Initiative in Chemical Biology

Newswise — The world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, has named Laura L. Kiessling, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of ACS Chemical Biology, a new publication scheduled to launch in 2006. Kiessling is professor of chemistry and biochemistry and MacArthur Foundation Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

ACS Chemical Biology represents a major new initiative to highlight the molecular sciences in biology and provide a molecular understanding of life. This monthly publication will provide a central forum for research at the interface of chemistry and biology, emphasizing the use of rigorous chemical and biological approaches to solve problems in living systems. ACS Chemical Biology will offer rapid communication of peer-reviewed, primary research, supplemented by mini-reviews, concept articles, perspectives, news features and highlights from other ACS journals.

Kiessling is recognized as a leading voice and pioneer in the field of chemical biology. Her principal research interests include biomolecular recognition, protein-carbohydrate interactions, and signal transduction mechanisms. Kiessling also serves as director of both the National Institutes of Health Chemistry-Biology Training Program and the Keck Center for Chemical Genomics.

"Chemists are moving into the life sciences in unprecedented numbers and this movement has created a fast growing field, called chemical biology, where the traditional roles of chemists and biologists are being redefined," says Jennifer Cho, Ph.D., senior product development manager at ACS Publications. "The ACS will seek to support this community of researchers by publicizing their work as broadly as possible, by providing venues for them to exchange ideas and approaches, by creating a Web gateway to facilitate access to information and by promoting collaboration among the various societies that form their traditional homes."

Cho added that "Laura Kiessling's advocacy for this field and her vision of its future make her the ideal candidate to lead the ACS' efforts to serve chemical biologists as they expand the frontiers of science. We fully expect her editorship of ACS Chemical Biology to usher in a new beginning for the Society at the chemistry/biology interface. We are tremendously excited about Dr. Kiessling's appointment."

From her laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Kiessling said, "Advances in chemistry are facilitating the synthesis and analysis of ever more complex molecules and molecular assemblies. Advances in biology are facilitating the structural and functional analysis of individual biomolecules and the networks in which they operate. The synergistic progress in these disciplines renders chemical biology, which combines ideas and methods from both, a vibrant and vital field." She said that "ACS Chemical Biology will be a central, high-profile forum for the growing audience of scientists now working at the interface. I want to use this initiative to help foster communication between chemists and biologists while at the same time conveying the significance of their research to a broad readership. ACS Chemical Biology represents an important advance for this field. This new publication is something I am proud and excited to be a part of."

Robert D. Bovenschulte, president of ACS Publications, shared in the enthusiasm of Cho and Kiessling: "What continues to set ACS Publications apart is its outstanding commitment to quality at all levels " in our production and peer-review processes, in our network of esteemed editors, authors, and reviewers and in the caliber of research contained in each of our publications. This commitment to quality will expand with the launch of ACS Chemical Biology under Dr. Kiessling's direction. This bold new initiative marks the next chapter in the ACS publishing program."

Kiessling received her B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her Ph.D. from Yale University, and completed her postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. She has received numerous awards, including the Horace Isbell Award from the Carbohydrate Division of ACS, the ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, and the Zeneca Excellence in Chemistry Award, the Beckman Young Investigator Award, and the NSF National Young Investigator Award. She is a Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and is a Fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Kiessling serves on numerous editorial boards and professional committees, and has published over 75 research papers.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers. It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.