Materials Today Bio: First Articles Published

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2019.100012 Get rights and content

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first issue of Materials Today Bio. Materials Today Bio is the latest new launch from the Materials Today family which has grown significantly to offer comprehensive coverage across all of materials science. I was honoured to have been part of initial design, conception, and launch of this journal since July 2018.

In the last few years we have observed tremendous progress in all bio-related areas, from basic molecular and cellular aspects; such as gene editing, synthetic biology, and stem cell biology, to very applied areas; such as tissue/genetic engineering, bioelectronics and nanobiotechnology. The employment of materials has been ubiquitous in such developments. The latest advances in the field of materials science and technology have been increasingly relevant for expanding new concepts and solutions in biology, medicine, biotechnology and biomedical engineering. For example, the design of novel structures, from the molecular to the macro scale, and their integration with biological systems has been an essential focus in scaling their application in bioimaging, therapies and diagnostics. Conversely, the observation of nature and the understanding of biologic mechanisms and solutions has enabled the significant growth of more performant and multifunctional materials. Bioinspiration and the replication of natural processes has remarkable potential to yield advanced smart and bioinstructive surfaces, adaptive materials, devices with extreme properties (wettability, mechanical, optical) and synthetic microenvironments with highly tuned interactions with cells and microorganisms.

Materials Today Bio is an open access journal publishing high-quality original research articles, short communications, and reviews, offering a rapid and rigorous review process and maximum visibility via ScienceDirect and MaterialsToday.com.

The scope of Materials Today Bio embraces the entire breath of topics at the interface between biology and materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine. Our strong international Editorial Board both reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the journal and helps to maintain its high-scientific standards. I look forward to working with the board to establish this as a leading journal in our field which disseminates the most exciting advances and discoveries.

We also welcome comments and ideas from the wider community to ensure that the journal best serves your needs as authors, referees and readers.

I hope that you enjoy reading this first issue of Materials Today Bio and that you will be encouraged to publish your newest findings and contributions with us.