„What about the evolution and adaptability of EJI?”

We are proudly starting the 37th year of the European Journal of Immunology (EJI). In the name of the Executive Committee, I extend my best wishes to all those involved with the Journal (the Editorial Board, reviewers, readers and contributing authors) for a successful and fruitful 2007, complete with great discoveries and triumphs in your immunological research leading us to a better understanding of the immune system and the development of novel and improved immunebased therapies. EJI was founded in 1970. As announced last year 1, a formal partnership between EJI and EFIS was established. All parties (Wiley-VCH, the Executive Committee and EFIS) are extremely pleased about this common effort and its successful conclusion. Particular thanks go to Günter Hämmerling and Eddy Liew for their enormous help in this common endeavour. The current Executive Committee unanimously consented to donate the revenues from the Journal to EFIS to further European Immunology, particularly education and training for younger immunologists, but also the organization and sponsorship of workshops and summer schools. This essential financial support of EFIS by EJI and Wiley-VCH is only possible because EJI, since its beginning by Wiley-VCH and an eminent group of European immunologists, including Otto Westphal, Annemarie Straub, Botho Kickhöfen, Olli Mäkelä, Avrion Mitchison and Klaus Rajewsky, has become a successful and profitable Journal. The scientific success of the Journal is due to the dedication and hard work of all the Executive Committee members of the past 37 years. On behalf of the current Executive Committee, I would therefore like to thank all past Executive Committee members. Without their loyal commitment to the Journal and the enormous amount of their complimentary work and time it would not have been possible to serve the European immunological community via EFIS with the current financial support as now provided with the new partnership between EJI, EFIS and the Executive Committee. Another important anniversary in 2007 is that of Wiley and Sons, the publisher of EJI through its Wiley-VCH division. Wiley is celebrating 200 years in publishing - Congratulations Wiley! The company began life as a small printing shop opened by Charles Wiley in Manhattan, New York City in 1807 and in its early years was responsible for producing literary works by great writers such as Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens amongst others. A far cry from publishing original scientific research; however, with the company's reputation established and with the advent of industrialisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, Wiley broadened its portfolio by publishing scientific and technical works. Wiley further diversified in the early twentieth century into businessfocused and scholarly projects and the second half of the century saw the foundation of a truly international company. The pace of change continues to increase in the modern world of science publishing and communication, and the Executive Committee and I extend our very best wishes to Wiley for continued healthy growth. What about the evolution and adaptability of EJI? Since the completion of the contract with EFIS in September 2006, the editorial team has been working hard to introduce a number of changes in 2007. Importantly, we are introducing fixed and regulated terms of office for both the Chairman of the Executive Committee and the Executive Committee members. It is therefore with regret, but also with enormous thanks for his contribution to the Journal, that we see Antonio Lanzavecchia leaving the Executive Committee after ten years of active duty. I, as Chairman, shall stand down at the end of 2007, as will a few other long-standing members of the Committee. The post of Chairman will be advertised in the Spring of 2007 and interested candidates should be encouraged and keep their eye on the Journal for application details and procedures. At the same time, we extend a hearty welcome to the new members who have joined the Executive Committee, broadening both the subject areas covered by the Committee and its geographical representation. The new members include, to date, Prof. Marco Colonna (innate immunity, NK cells, DC and TLR; St Louis, USA), Prof. David Gray (B cells, immunological memory and T-B cell interactions; Edinburgh, Scotland), Prof. Bernard Malissen (antigen receptor signalling, development and Langerhans cells; Marseille, France), Prof. Paola Ricciardi-Castagnoli (dendritic cells, immune regulation and inflammation; Milan, Italy) and Prof. Takashi Saito (T cell recognition, function and signalling; Yokohama, Japan). It is with my sincere thanks to the new members that they are willing to take on such an important role for EJI and thereby serve the immunological community. Importantly, Profs. Colonna and Saito have been appointed to the newly created posts of Deputy Chairmen of the Executive Committee and will assume my duties and responsibilities during times of my absence. This, together with the increased numbers of Executive Committee members, will ensure that offers an excellent, fair and efficient assessment of all manuscripts submitted. The Editorial Board is also a key component of the EJI, regularly reviewing manuscripts that have been graded of sufficient priority and selected for full external review by the Executive Committee. In-line with the Executive Committee, we are introducing fixed and regulated terms of office for members of the Editorial Board, and as a consequence a number of Editorial Board members (see the listing at the end of this Editorial) stepped down from the Board at the end of 2006. I wish to thank all the Editorial Board members for their hard work on the journal, particularly as many had regularly reviewed manuscripts and provided advice for more than ten years. A special thank you is extended to Prof. Klaus Eichmann who has served the Journal since 1972. The list of the revised Editorial Board to date, including those who joined in 2007 (see also below), can be found on the inside front cover. As with the Executive Committee, the revised Editorial Board has a greater geographical representation, broader subject coverage and increased numbers of women - although we are aware that this latter aspect still needs to be improved and shall be a consideration when the Board is revised annually. I am pleased that there is such enthusiasm to become involved with EJI and that people are willing to take on the additional work necessitated by becoming an Editorial Board member. Another major change being introduced into EJI in 2007 is the creation of new sections. In response to the survey we conducted in the summer of 2006, the results of which can be found in the online News section of EJI (see www.eji-journal.eu), we have introduced a new article type. In addition, to regular research articles, we will now also publish Short Communications. Such articles should be 3 000-3 500 words in length, including references, legends and Tables, and contain no more than three Figures. They should describe a significant immunological discovery in brief. Those Short Communications presenting studies whose importance ranks in the top 5–10% of the studies published in the Journal will be included in the Highlights section of the Journal. Full details regarding preparation and submission of Short Communications can be found in the Instructions to Authors.We are pleased that this issue of EJI contains two Short Communications, one by Watzl and colleagues on the regulation of SAP activity in human NK cells and one by Nussenzweig and colleagues on class switch recombination. We are also expanding the Front section of the journal. „In This Issue”︁ was introduced in 2005 and now, in 2007, we shall be complementing this with a „News and EFIS”︁ section and occasional meeting reports. Together, these create the „Forum”︁ section. „News and EFIS”︁ will highlight immunological news within Europe, EFIS activities, funding information and will aim to be of interest to immunologists worldwide. The first „News and EFIS”︁ can be found on page 10 of this issue. We welcome feedback on it and if you have any items for inclusion in this section please email the editorial office ([email protected]). A meeting report written by Prof. Christian Bogdan, the organiser of the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society held in Freiburg in October 2006, is planned for the Forum section of the February issue. Proposals for Meeting Reports should also be sent to the editorial office (e-mail: [email protected]). „We will now also publish Short Communications”︁ It is with pride that I can say that EJI has been at the centre of European and worldwide reporting of immunological research, research complete with all its successes and failures, and ups and downs. The developments we have outlined above will ensure that EJI remains in this position and we hope that it follows in the footsteps of its publisher by celebrating its 200th anniversary in due course - even if that is a long way off yet! The editorial team wishes you a happy and successful 2007 and we are looking forward to publishing new, exciting studies in immunological research, and to hearing your suggestions and critiques. Oreste Acuto Bernd Arnold Cosima Baldari Jean-Yves Bonnefoy Thierry Boon Hans Clevers Anne Cooke Clemens A. Dahinden Klaus Eichmann Zelig Eshhar Manlio Ferrarini Adriano Fontana Janos Gergely Kristian Hannestad Hans Hengartner Thomas Hünig Stefan Kaufmann Pawel Kisielow Martin Lipp Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren H. Robson MacDonald Charles Mackay Marie Malissen Cornelis Melief Stefan Meuer Frank Miedema Ingrid Müller Werner Müller Israel Pecht Fiona Powrie Hans-Georg Rammensee Michael Reth Martin Röllinghoff Francisco Sanchez-Madrid Anne-Marie Schmitt-Verhulst Burkhart Schraven Hergen Spits Tadatsugu Taniguchi Sasha Tarakhovsky Jurg Tschopp Dietmar Vestweber John E. Volanakis Hermann Wagner David Wallach Hartmut Wekerle Georg Wick and welcome the new Editorial Board Members William Agace Cezmi Akdis Graham Anderson Michael Beaven Christian Bogdan Margaret Callan Xuetao Cao Marco Cassatella Antonio Celada John Chan Lucienne Chatenoud Andrea Cooper Pierre Coulie Gennaro De Libero James Di Santo Britta Engelhardt Anna Erdei Kristin Hogquist Sidonia Fagarasan Kate Fitzgerald Jules Hoffmann Kristin Hogquist Hans-Martin Jack Agnes Lehuen Stephen Miller Paul Morgan Alan Mowat Luigi Notarangelo Annette Oxenius Berent Prakken Pedro Romero David Sacks Elisabeth Suri-Payer Megan Sykes Masafumi Takiguchi Margot Thome David Woodland Steven Ziegler